A 20-year-old woman from Australia has called for the banning of vaping due to her damaged right lung, which she says was caused by her addiction.
Karlee Ozkurt started using the drug five years ago after high school. She says it was the worst decision she ever made.
In November 2021, her lung collapsed while she was in the bathroom. She waited two days to seek medical attention as she thought she was experiencing a muscle spasm.
After her lung was re-expanded using a syringe and needle, it collapsed again in 2022 and required an operation to attach it back to her chest wall.
After experiencing two lung collapses, Karlee was at increased risk of experiencing a third. She decided to stop using electronic cigarettes for the last time two years. She said that people should recognize the effects of addiction, including withdrawal symptoms such as intense irritability and full-body shakes.
Although she stopped using electronic cigarettes multiple times, Karlee is on track to complete her first month without them. She is worried about the long-term effects of her addiction. She works as a medical assistant in Wisconsin.
It felt like my lungs were on fire. She said she accidentally fell into the trap of believing that electronic cigarettes were cool. However, it was too late and she didn’t realize the long-term effects of her addiction. She said she could die at the age of 40 or 50 due to her habit, which she started five years ago after she noticed her friends were doing it.
Although she thought it was a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, she had to force herself to try it after her lungs started hurting. She said it was painful to try and vape, and she should have known that it was not a good idea.