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'It was gut-wrenching' | Mom recalls three days daughter spent in ICU because of vaping

Emily Bohannon admits she was a frequent user of both THC and nicotine vaping products and said doctors described her lungs as "like broken glass" now.

ATHENS, Tenn. — At first, Emily Bohannon thought she had the flu. 

But after three trips to the emergency room, doctors decided it wasn't anything ordinary. 

The 21 year-old was admitted and quickly got sent to the intensive care unit and put on life support.

"They told me that I was going to die if I didn’t get put under medical sedation," Emily Bohannon said. "That’s when I started to panic. That’s when the tears started coming and I was like 'I don’t want to die.'" 

Her mom, Kim, describes it as a life-changing experience. 

"I’m going to tell you as a parent there is nothing more traumatic than watching your child go through that," she said. 

Emily Bohannon admits she was a frequent user of both nicotine and THC vaping products, sometimes using her Juul several times an hour. 

"At that point I had been vaping probably more than anybody should," she said. 

Credit: Kim Bohannon
Emily Bohannon spent two weeks in the hospital. She said doctors blame vaping for near-total respiratory failure.

Her mom watched in horror as her daughter's condition deteriorated and doctors tried to figure out what was wrong. 

"I’ve heard about vaping illnesses, but you never think it’s going to happen to your family," Kim Bohannon said. 

"It was gut-wrenching to watch your child on life support, unable to communicate, not knowing if she’s going to live to see the next morning." 

As doctors concluded her illness was related to vaping, they began giving her heavy doses of steroids. 

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"In this situation we found out that we were dealing with something the medical community is still learning about," Kim Bohannon said. 

Two weeks after she was admitted to the hospital, doctors discharged Emily Bohannon. But her life may never be the same. 

"We don’t know enough about how vaping impacts the body and because of that I just think it’s too dangerous to even try," her mom said. 

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