Horrifying photographs have emerged showing the severely damaged lungs of a teenager, which his family attribute to a compulsive three-year vaping habit. The images reveal blackened and shrivelled lung tissue removed during surgery.
A Habit That Spiralled Out of Control
LeeRay King, from near Wellington, New Zealand, began using disposable vapes at the age of 14. He admits he was initially peer-pressured into trying them and became hooked within a week. The addiction quickly escalated, with the teen concealing it from his family for over a year.
At the peak of his habit, the now 17-year-old was consuming roughly four disposable vapes every week, using the devices constantly throughout each day. "I would vape all day every day," LeeRay said. "If I didn't have one, I'd be like a different person."
The Nightmare Begins: A Collapsed Lung
The severe consequences of his vaping unfolded in August last year. LeeRay woke in the middle of the night with excruciating pain on his left side and found himself struggling to breathe. His mother, Kylee Jope, a 50-year-old cleaning supervisor, rushed him to hospital.
Medical scans delivered a devastating diagnosis: LeeRay was suffering from a large pneumothorax – a condition where air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall, causing the lung to collapse. "I just burst into tears," Kylee recalled of the moment she was told her son's left lung had collapsed.
Multiple Surgeries and Shocking Evidence
Over the following four months, LeeRay's left lung collapsed four more times. This series of medical emergencies led to three separate surgeries in an attempt to prevent further collapses.
During the third operation, surgeons discovered and removed a section of badly damaged tissue from LeeRay's lung. The family was later presented with the removed tissue, sealed in a plastic packet. They were shocked to see it was brown, blackened, and shrivelled – a visual testament to the damage they believe was caused by years of vaping.
"When we picked it up, LeeRay pulled it out and we were both like 'oh my god'," said Kylee. "We're actually going to bury it at our house as a native tree. I never realised vapes could do this."
A Lifelong Warning and a New Mission
LeeRay is now recovering and is adamant he will never touch a vape again. He has turned his traumatic experience into a mission to educate others, particularly younger children, about the potential dangers he was unaware of.
He has already given a talk at a local primary school, driven by a desire to prevent others from enduring similar pain. "I don't want them going through what I went through," LeeRay stated. "It was a pain that no one at a young age should be going through. I would tell anyone don't do it."
His mother echoed this warning, criticising how vaping is often marketed. "They advertise it to help give up smoking," Kylee said. "You're pretty much intentionally drowning your insides. Seeing my son go through that was horrifying."
