A Pennsylvania teenager is in a medically induced coma for a severe lung illness caused by his vaping habit, his parents said.
Kevin Boclair, 19, is connected to a heart/lung machine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where doctors said he may need a double lung transplant, his parents told local TV stations.
“[Doctors] know it’s vaping,” mom Debbie Boclair told WPVI.
The Bloomsburg University student had quit using the e-cigarettes but started again because of their flavor and got hooked, Boclair said to Fox 29.
Health officials have warned against using e-cigarettes and other vaping products, which they’ve linked to a rise of breathing illnesses.
In July, eight teens with a history of vaping were hospitalized with “seriously damaged lung” at The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
Kevin’s health began deteriorating about two weeks ago, shortly before he was set to start his sophomore year of college.
“He was coughing violently enough that he was throwing up. In the morning, he didn’t look good,” said Boclair, who is a registered nurse.
“His color was like gray. I ran him to the urgent care and they did an X-ray.”
The Broomall, Pennsylvania, family is unsure if Kevin will recover, but hope to warn others about the dangers of vaping.
“No parent should have to walk into a hospital room and see their son having his blood sucked out of one leg with five tubes down his throat, looking dead,” said dad Len Boclair.
A teen in Utah was also put in a coma in August after she developed a rare lung disease possibly caused by her years of daily vaping.