A 12-year-old girl named Sarah Griffin from Belfast, Northern Ireland, was reportedly admitted to intensive care and placed in a medically induced coma after vaping.
Sarah’s mother, Mary Griffin, is speaking out after the terrifying experience to express support for the new vaping awareness campaign by Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS). Mary urged others to take heed of her daughter’s ordeal.
“It was a Sunday night, Sarah was getting ready for bed and said she didn’t feel great. She started coughing but because Sarah has asthma, we put that down to the change in weather as that has been a trigger for Sarah’s asthma before,” Mary said, according to NICHS.
My 12-year-old was put in a coma after vaping — I was terrified https://t.co/djTU8HuvtM pic.twitter.com/mbqP3ZEHKF
— New York Post (@nypost) October 9, 2023
“Her cough was no different from any other time and she used her inhaler and nebulizer throughout the Sunday night into Monday morning,” the mother added. “That morning I was taking my other two children to school when Sarah rang and said, ‘Come back mummy, I don’t feel well, I’m afraid’. I got home, gave Sarah her inhaler and nebuliser [sic] again and she seemed to settle.”
“A while later I popped out to the shop quickly and Sarah rang again, this time completely out of breath, barely able to string a sentence together, saying, ‘I need a doctor or to go to hospital.'” (RELATED: NFL Head Coach Gives The Most Cryptic (Yet Hilarious) Answer When Asked If He Was Vaping During A Playoff Game)
“It’s not that bad for you…”
Or is it?
The long term health implications of vaping are unknown – just as they once were with tobacco.
We are launching our campaign today to advise the public if you don’t smoke, don’t vape!
Visit https://t.co/D9UkO6cJA0 for vaping facts. pic.twitter.com/hURkbxM0Jv
— Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (@nichstweet) October 9, 2023
The little girl was reportedly rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital. Doctors, concerned about her critically low oxygen levels, immediately transferred her to intensive care, per NICHS.
Despite not vaping heavily, the young girl spent four and a half hours in intensive care, NICHS noted. Her condition reportedly deteriorated rapidly, leading medical professionals to make the difficult decision to induce a coma that lasted for three days.
“The doctors explained that if Sarah hadn’t of been vaping, she would have been in a better position to fight off the infection. Vaping had left her lungs very weak,” Mary added, per NICHS. “The doctors said if Sarah had of got to hospital any later the outcome would have been entirely different. That is something I can’t even think about.”
Sarah has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home, according to NICHS.