Cameron Vann’s lung collapsed twice as he hid his habit from mum Crystal with doctors saying it could have been fatal
A teen who secretly vaped at school with his mates nearly died when his lung collapsed twice. Cameron Vann, known as Dodge, picked up vaping from his friends at school and had been using them for two years.
Dodge’s mum, Crystal Vann, said she didn’t know about the 17-year-old’s habit until the teenager came off the school bus looking pale and with back pain last September. The 38-year-old mum rushed him to ER where an x-ray showed the teenager had a 50% collapsed lung, needing an 18-inch tube inserted in his left side.
Despite this, Dodge carried on vaping until he was left struggling to breathe while he was at school in January. Crystal rushed the teen back to ER but was advised to go straight to Kentucky Children’s Hospital, as doctors warned he could have died while waiting in the lobby.
This time, Dodge needed surgery and doctors “scraped” his left lung lining, while he stayed in hospital for a week. The mum-of-two said she feared for her son’s life and wants to raise awareness about the dangers of vaping.
Dodge has since vowed to never to vape again. Crystal, from Corbin, Kentucky, US, said: “He was vaping at school, it wasn’t on my watch.
“He was vaping quite a lot, both times it happened at school. He had been vaping for two years. He got off the bus and he was so pale. I took him to the ER and he explained what happened, he went to lie down in the bus and his back hurt so much.”
She said Dodge was x-rayed which showed his left lung had collapsed. He needed an 18-inch tube inserted into his side.
“He called me from school the second time and he said ‘I’m hurting but I don’t know if it’s my lung or not’. We went straight to the ER.
“They said he could have died in the lobby. He had surgery this time and they had to scrape off the lung lining, stapling the blebs [fluid or air-filled blisters] at the top of his lung, and attach it back to the chest wall.”
“He went through a lot. It was horrible, I thought ‘why him?’ I feared he was going to die.”
Dodge said he still has pain in his left side which gets worse when he puts on clothes or when he talks. He said: “I had shallow breathing and couldn’t take deep breaths at all. I was losing oxygen, I can’t explain how it feels.
“After the surgery the nerves are dead, even putting on a shirt feels awful when touching it. Talking vibrates it sometimes and it hurts so much. I get stabbing pains in my side and can’t go to school. So much could have gone wrong like a spinal injury.
“I quit cold turkey, I’m not hitting one ever again, I’m trying to stay away from second hand smoke and everything. I’ve had nightmares about it.”
Crystal claims Dodge started vaping with pals and is now calling for a ban on vapes. The self-employed mum still takes Dodge to the hospital for check-ups and follow-up appointments.
A GoFundMe had been set up to help with Dodge’s treatment costs. Crystal said: “He’s so little. It hurts in his back, he does not want to go to sleep because it hurts when he wakes up.
“He’s such a kind and passionate kid with a big heart for others, so seeing him in pain is incredibly hard for me as his mom. He’s been so brave, but he’s also scared, asking me if his lung might collapse again while he sleeps.
“We have to return for multiple check-ups and follow-up appointments to make sure Cameron is healing well. When he came home [after the second incident], he didn’t pick it back up, he knew this time.
“Doctors said he could die so he will not smoke. I say ban on all vapes, I don’t want another kid going through it.”
You can donate to Crystal’s cause here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-cameron-recover-from-collapsed-lung
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