Wanting to fit in with his group of friends, Jayden Richardson, now 17, started vaping at the age of just 12. His vaping was excessive, as he’s been consuming the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day.
His habit took its toll after he started coughing up ‘pints’ of blood on the last day of his holiday in Turkey, where he was together with his family.
Once they arrived home, Jayden was rushed to the hospital immediately.
Given his symptoms, doctors initially suspected a stomach ulcer, according to his mother, Elita.
She assumed her son’s condition was caused by his eating habits, especially the greasy food and daily kebabs he consumed on vacation. But she couldn’t have been more wrong.
After undergoing endoscopy, doctors determined the blood he was coughing was a result of severe lung damage due to his habit of vaping.
Doctors warned Jayden never to use e-cigarettes again, and he was determined to quit for good. However, his resolve lasted only until his birthday in January, when he picked up the vape once more.
Unfortunately, this proved to be a “stupid” mistake, as his symptoms quickly returned.
At the time being, Jayden is awaiting a CT scan. He hopes that the ban of disposable vapes in June 2025 would add to his efforts to never vape again.
Jayden shared his story, saying, “I was terrified. I never thought vaping could cause all this.
“It all started in Turkey,” Jayden recalled. “The night before, I felt a bit of chest pain but didn’t think much of it. The next morning, I took a quick hit from my vape and felt like I had a chesty cough.”
He continued, “I coughed a few times, and it felt phlegmy, so I went to spit it out. But when I saw blood, I was in shock. I had no idea what to do.”
Panicked, he called for his mom, who was having breakfast at the time. But when she arrived, the situation didn’t seem too serious—at first.
Later, he went to the pool and had a drink. All of a sudden, he started coughing blood again.
“If I could go back to that moment when I first started [vaping] I’d tell myself ‘never to touch one of them’,” the teen explained. “It’s crazy how Cigarettes dangerous they are and what they can actually do to the human body. You don’t realise it when you do it. It just affects you in the long run. I would never touch one.”
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
