Jayden Richardson reveals that he started using e-cigarettes at the age of 12 to fit in and ended up smoking the equivalent of about 50 cigarettes every day.
However, the 17-year-old was shocked when he started coughing up blood on the final day of his family holiday in Turkey in August 2024.
Upon returning home the next day, he was taken to the hospital where doctors initially thought he had a stomach ulcer, according to his mother Elita Richardson.
The family was surprised when an endoscopy showed that the teenager had severe lung damage caused by his vaping addiction.
Despite his determination to quit e-cigarettes, he made the mistake of using a vape a few months later while celebrating his birthday on January 10, which led to another episode of coughing up blood.
This incident occurred just days before the tragic death of Hollyoaks star Paul Danan, who had been hospitalized for excessive vaping.
Elita, 43, took to Facebook to warn others about the dangers of vaping, urging them to consider the risks as it can happen to anyone.
Jayden is now awaiting a CT scan and supports the ban on disposable vapes set to take effect in June 2025, vowing to never use them again.
Reflecting on his experience, Jayden, who resides in Shifnal, Shropshire, said: „I was terrified. I never imagined vaping could have such serious consequences.“
„It all started in Turkey. The night before, I had some chest pain but didn’t think much of it. The next morning, I used my vape and began coughing as if I had a chesty cough.“
„I coughed a few times and noticed phlegm. When I spat it out, I saw it was blood, which shocked me. I didn’t know how to react.“
„I called my mom, and she said she would come if it got worse because she was at breakfast. After about five minutes, I was still coughing up small bits of blood. She came over, and the first time I coughed, it wasn’t too severe.“
„But a couple of hours later, after having some drinks and getting into the swimming pool, I started coughing up a lot of blood. It scared me, especially at a young age.“
„It was traumatic. I spent about 10 minutes coughing up a significant amount of blood.“
Jayden managed to fly home the next day, but his father rushed him to the hospital after he continued coughing up blood at Birmingham airport.
Elita claims that doctors initially dismissed his symptoms as a stomach ulcer after she mentioned that he was vomiting blood, and nothing abnormal showed up on a lung X-ray.
However, a week later, an endoscopy revealed severe lung damage.
Elita explained, „When I returned, he had been in and out of the hospital, and they kept dismissing it as a stomach ulcer.“
„It looked like he was vomiting it up, but he was actually coughing it up. He was heaving. I thought it might be due to him drinking a bit on holiday, eating greasy food, having kebabs every night.“
„They sent him for lung x-rays, but nothing showed up. They even asked if it was severe nosebleeds, as blood was also coming from his nose, which was unusual for him. He had never had nosebleeds before.“
„They were considering various possibilities, not expecting a kid his age to have severe lung damage.“
„A week later, the endoscopy revealed the extent of the lung damage. The consultant said he had never seen such severe lung damage in a child. It was attributed to ‚excessive vaping,‘ which was a shock.“
„I’m grateful we caught it when we did. I feared it could have been worse if it had gone on longer.“
„What made it worse was that shortly after his second episode, the Hollyoaks actor passed away, and his health issues were linked to excessive vaping.“
Jayden received medication and decided to stop vaping, which stopped the bleeding a few days later.
However, he admitted to using an e-cigarette again a few months later during his birthday weekend, thinking the damage was already done. Unfortunately, he started coughing up blood again and is now waiting for a CT scan.
Jayden shared, „I took another puff on the vape. I don’t know what came over me. I wasn’t using it heavily, but I was using it frequently.“
„I was in bed and suddenly started coughing. The tone of the cough indicated it was going to be blood. When I spit it out, there wasn’t a lot of blood, but it was still distressing to see. It was quite stressful.“
„I thought the damage was already done and would heal on its own. I thought a few puffs on the vape wouldn’t harm me, but I was wrong. I can’t believe how easily the damage recurred.“
„I experience a lot of pain on the left side, which I think could be my left lung. I have frequent pain, even when I’m just sitting still. It’s a sharp stabbing pain. Coughing hurts. It’s terrible.“
He confessed to going through one 10ml bottle of vape juice every two to three days, equivalent to about 50 cigarettes daily.
Jayden added, „Everyone around me was doing it.“ Ich fühlte mich, als ob es irgendwie dazu passte, aber es fühlte sich einfach normal an, es zu tun.
„Ich habe jeden Tag gedampft. Ich würde es ehrlich gesagt nicht wirklich weglegen. Es ist einfach eine schlechte Angewohnheit. Wenn man einmal anfängt, ist es offensichtlich sehr süchtig machend, es ist schwer aufzuhören.
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