Man, 29, hospitalised with ‘stabbing pains’ in chest found to have serious ‘vaping injury'
Fit and healthy 29-year-old Jordan Snowdon is offering an urgent warning to all vapers after his own habit upended his life and landed him in hospital with a collapsed lung.
Jordan, a fisherman from Sunderland, had his worst nightmare come true when he woke up from a nap to what he believed was a heart attack.
He believed that he was dying.
He recalled: "I woke up with a sharp pain. It felt like someone had gripped my heart so I shouted for my mum.
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"I couldn't talk or breathe properly and I hit the floor and I thought I was having a heart attack.
"I rang 111 and my heart was racing. It felt like my heart was being squeezed and I couldn't breathe.
"I was so scared and I thought I was going to die at this point."
He was then told he needed an emergency x-ray which revealed his right lung had collapsed.
He says the doctors said 'it was one of the worst lung collapses they had ever seen'.
Jordan continued: "They described it as when you get a crisp packet and suck it in, that is what my lung looked like."
When he told doctors he vaped, everything fell into place.
"They said I fit all three of the categories for a spontaneous lung collapse. I'm tall, skinny and I'm a smoker.
"They [the doctors] said this happened because of vaping.
"I started crying my eyes out when I heard that my lung had collapsed.
"I'm a carp angler and I love fishing as it helps my mental health and I thought I'd never be able to do this again."
Jordan had to have a 6ml drain inserted into his chest before being rushed to Newcastle Freeman Hospital.
Upon arrival, surgeons performed keyhole surgery in a bid to reinflate his lung.
On 15 April, he was able to leave hospital and rest.
He has been told his lung could take months to heal - and he's one of the lucky ones.
Reports say that many lung collapses among young people are directly linked to vaping.
Talking about his experience with vapes, Jordan shared that he started vaping five years ago.
At first, it was casual but his addiction worsened and in 2022 he'd 'never be seen' without a vape in his hand.
As for warning signs, he said he'd sometimes experience a 'cold air sensation' down his throat but he ignored it.
Jordan said: "What happened is life changing. It's devastating. I love being outdoors.
"I'm still waiting for it to heal two weeks after my operation. They said it could take weeks, months or even years, it just depends.
"I have not smoked for three weeks now and they said if I do it will cause infection."
He is now making a desperate appeal to prevent the same happening to others.
He continued: "People need to put the vapes down and stop smoking. It's a fashion sense at the moment.
"People are just vaping because their friends are or they just like the flavour.
"They are not looking at the hazards of it."
He concluded: "If I knew this could have happened I would never have touched a vape in my life."
Kya Buller