Mark Blight, a full-time carer from Cumbria, is sharing a cautionary tale after his 17-year-old daughter, Kyla, almost lost her life due to a burst hole in her lung caused by vaping. This heartbreaking incident serves as a wake-up call to the dangers of vaping, especially for teenagers.
Kyla’s vaping addiction began at the young age of 15. Over time, her addiction escalated to the point where she was consuming the equivalent of 400 cigarettes a week, going through an entire 4,000 puff vape in just one week. Mark reflects, “I’ve been to hell and back with Kyla over the last couple of weeks. I just put it down to vaping, they can’t put it down to anything else but vaping that’s caused this.”
Back in November 2023, Kyla was rushed to the hospital, believing she was experiencing a heart attack. However, an X-ray revealed a terrifying truth – she had a hole in her lung due to the formation of a bleb, a blister-like protrusion filled with liquid. Thankfully, the hole had healed by February 2024. But on that fateful day of May 11th, Kyla’s health took a turn for the worse.
While at a friend’s house, Kyla collapsed and turned blue. Mark received a frantic call at 4 am, delivering every parent’s nightmare. He rushed to her side and immediately brought her to the hospital, where doctors discovered that the bleb had burst and her lung had collapsed. It was an intense and terrifying situation. Kyla had to undergo a five and a half hour operation, during which she even suffered a seizure on the operating table. Mark was the pillar of strength for his daughter throughout this traumatic experience.
As a former vaper himself, Mark is now determined to raise awareness about the dangers of vaping. He emphasizes, “I used them to stop smoking 13 years ago, and it’s never bothered me at all. Although you think it doesn’t bother you, it might do later on after what happened to Kyla. It’s scared me.” Mark warns parents, urging them to pay attention to their children’s vaping habits before they have to go through the same harrowing experience he endured. He adds, “For kids, they don’t understand until it happens to them.”
For her part, Kyla has made a firm decision – she will never vape again. “I honestly thought they were harmless and wouldn’t do anything to anyone, even though I had seen so many things about it. I just feel like everyone has that same view. But now I won’t touch them. I wouldn’t go near them. The situation has really scared me out of them. I was terrified.”
Let this heartbreaking story serve as a powerful reminder of the risks associated with vaping, especially for young individuals. Vaping may seem harmless, but the consequences can be deadly. We must prioritize educating our children and promoting a vape-free lifestyle. Let’s join hands to protect the health and well-being of our loved ones.
