Teen, 18, who claims she nearly died after her lungs failed from vaping starts campaign from her hospital bed to have the products BANNED - as two deaths are linked to the e-cigarettes
- Simah Herman, 18, holds up signs in her video along with a photo of her unconscious with a tube down her throat
- Herman said she started developing 'terrible nausea issues' two years ago
- Two weeks ago, the Long Beach resident started having trouble breathing and had to be put on a ventilator after her lungs failed in 48 hours
- Herman's story comes just days before a middle-aged Oregon man became the second death related to vaping
- As of last week, 215 possible cases of severe lung disease associated with the use of e-cigarettes had been reported by 25 states, according to the CDC
- In the New York cases, Vitamin E was found in black market vape oils tied to illnesses
A young woman in California has shared heart wrenching photos of her time living on a ventilator in a hospital, after suffering lung failure, in a bid to get people to stop vaping.
Simah Herman, 18, shared the photos in an August 29th Instagram post that has been liked just under 600,000 times.
It includes photos of Herman holding up signs sharing her testimony along with a photo of her unconscious with a tube down her throat.
The post comes just days before Oregon officials announced that a man died from inhaling cannabis e-cigarettes, making his the second vaping-related death in the U.S. as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that there are 215 possible cases of severe lung disease related to them.
In cases in New York, researcher also found that Vitamin E was in black market vape oils tied to illnesses in the state.
Scroll down for video
Simah Herman, 18, shared the photos in an August 29th Instagram post that has been liked just under 600,000 times. The post includes photos of Herman holding up signs sharing her testimony along with a photo of her unconscious with a tube down her throat
Herman said in her post that she first started developing 'terrible nausea issues' approximately two years ago. From there, she struggled eating and sleeping.
Two weeks ago, the Long Beach resident started having trouble breathing and had to be put on a ventilator after her lungs failed in 48 hours.
'This is all because of vaping,' she declared in the post. 'Vaping is advertised as “a healthier alternative to smoking” which is false.
'Whether it’s nicotine or weed vaping can be fatal. I was lucky. The doctors didn’t think I was going to make it but with prayers from family and friends I pulled through after almost a week on a ventilator.'
Two weeks ago, the Long Beach resident started having trouble breathing and had to be put on a ventilator after her lungs failed in 48 hours
Herman said: 'It took less than 48 hours for me to be put in a drug induced coma and a tube put down my throat because I could no longer breathe on my own. The dangers of vaping are real and this can happen to you. Please don’t let it.'
Herman added that she never thought something like that could happen to her, adding that her naivety convinced her to continue vaping.
She continued: 'It took less than 48 hours for me to be put in a drug induced coma and a tube put down my throat because I could no longer breathe on my own. The dangers of vaping are real and this can happen to you. Please don’t let it.'
She asserted that vaping wasn't worth the health risk and advised that people talk with their loved ones about the dangers of using the products
Herman asserted that vaping wasn't worth the health risk and advised that people talk with their loved ones about the dangers of using the products.
'I didn’t end up having pneumonia,' the teen concluded in the post. 'The signs of respiratory failure from vaping make it look like pneumonia, if they didn’t find that first I would have died.'
Herman's story comes just days before a middle-aged Oregon man became the first death associated with a vaping product brought at a cannabis dispensary.
Officials have not determined what made him ill in the first place, whether the product was contaminated or whether they may have added something to the liquid in the device after buying it, said Dr Ann Thomas with the Oregon Health Authority.
As of last week, 215 possible cases of severe lung disease associated with the use of e-cigarettes had been reported by 25 states, according to the CDC.
Share this article
Herman's story comes just days before a middle-aged Oregon man became the second death related to vaping (stock)
Illinois officials on Friday reported what they consider the first death in the nation linked to vaping after the person contracted a serious lung disease.
In New York state, 32 cases of vaping-related illness have been reported, with a 'vast majority' involving people who vape illicit marijuana.
New York officials are focusing their investigation on an additive used in black-market vape oils made from vitamin E.
A state health department spokeswoman said a lab has found 'high levels' of vitamin E acetate in 'nearly all' the marijuana samples involved.
