The dangers of vaping are becoming more apparent, but one teenager remained unconvinced even after witnessing her sister’s near-death experience. Tamzin Blight, a long-time user of e-cigarettes since the age of 13, shrugged off the pain in her chest as a mere case of trapped wind.
Little did she know that she had a hole in her lung caused by vaping. Tamzin continued to vape, consuming the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day, despite her sister Kyla’s recent hospitalization due to the same issue.
On June 29th, Tamzin’s lung collapsed—a direct consequence of vaping. Symptoms such as chest tightness and pain in her back and shoulders had been attributed to trapped wind. It was only when her concerned father, Mark, took her to the hospital that an X-ray revealed the burst pulmonary bleb and the severity of her condition. Tamzin now awaits a decision regarding the possibility of surgery. Her sister Kyla, 17, had a similar experience in May, resulting in emergency surgery.
“It’s been an absolute nightmare,” said Mark, a resident of Egremont, Cumbria. “The coincidence is just unbelievable. It knocked me right back to where I was a few weeks ago with Kyla. It’s just horrible. I’m still in shock about it.”
The doctors immediately attended to Tamzin due to Kyla’s recent hospitalization. They diagnosed her with pneumothorax—a condition where tiny holes appear on the lung and burst. Kyla’s case involved a significant hole, while Tamzin’s was smaller. The doctors confirmed that vaping was the cause.
Tamzin is now part of a clinical trial conducted by Carlisle Hospital’s respiratory team. A CT scan revealed a decrease in her lung inflation, raising hopes that surgery to drain it may not be necessary.
“She may not need surgery if her lung can stand up on its own,” said Mark. “She’s just been lying in her room. She’s not done much for a while. She’s been off work for a couple of weeks now.”
Tamzin, who works in administration, admits, “I never thought it would happen to me. I was definitely shocked. I had in my head it would just be trapped wind or something. You never expect it to happen to you, and it only just happened to Kyla, so I just didn’t expect it to be a collapsed lung.”
Despite recently switching from disposable vapes to refillable ones and replacing the liquid up to four times a day, Tamzin now plans to quit vaping altogether.
Mark, who has raised awareness about the dangers of vaping on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and advocates for a complete ban, emphasized the need to protect children from the marketing tactics of e-cigarette companies. “These vapes are marketed for kids,” he said. “You can see they are, just the way they taste and smell. It’s not advertised for me. It’s aimed at kids. We know what vapes are doing to people, but there’s just no proof.”
Until e-cigarettes are banned entirely, Mark hopes that sharing his story will discourage people from buying these devices. He has already had people approach him on the street, thanking him for motivating their daughters to quit vaping.
