A 12-year-old girl from Belfast who suffered a lung collapse and spent four days in an induced coma has urged children never to start vaping. Sarah Griffin, who had asthma and was a heavy vaper, was rushed to hospital with breathing problems a month ago. Her mother Mary told the BBC she feared losing her daughter.
Sarah had been hiding vapes from her mother, even cutting holes in the carpet to conceal them. Despite it being illegal to sell vapes to under-18s, she bought them over the counter and became addicted to nicotine. By summer, she was using a 4,000-puff vape every few days—far exceeding the standard 600-puff regulation vape.
Her asthma and poor use of her preventative inhaler, combined with a head cold in early September, created what her doctor called a 'perfect storm'. Consultant respiratory paediatrician Dr Dara O'Donoghue said, 'A lot of risk factors were going in the wrong direction.' Sarah was admitted to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, where an X-ray showed only one lung functioning. She was placed in intensive care and then an induced coma.
After four days, Sarah was gradually brought round but has permanent lung damage. Her mother said, 'She's doing lung exercises you'd expect an 80-year-old to be doing.' Sarah hopes her experience will deter others: 'Don't start doing it, because once you start, you don't stop until it's life or death.'
Dr O'Donoghue called youth vaping 'a healthcare emergency' that needs urgent action. Recent figures show one in five children aged 11-17 have tried vaping—three times as many as in 2020. Nearly one in ten 11- to 15-year-olds now vape, according to a 2021 survey.
The UK government has announced plans to restrict marketing and sale of vapes targeting children. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said proposals would 'reverse the worrying rise in youth vaping' by making vapes less colourful and appealing. Health Secretary Steve Barclay said immediate legislative action would follow an eight-week consultation. Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said a Labour government would come down 'like a tonne of bricks' on companies pushing flavours like 'rainbow burst' at children.
