Teen, 15, nearly died of dehydration after vaping so much he was left unconscious for 30 hours
A teenage boy was left fighting for his life after taking up vaping in order to fit in at school.
While e-cigarettes were initially advertised as a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes, many who didn't smoke in the first place have since taken up the habit - young people in particular.
As vapes are still a reasonably new development, people are only just learning of their side effects and the true negative impact they can have on your body.
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For example, a 12-year-old girl in the UK ended up in a four-day coma and one of her lungs collapsing due to excessive vaping.
Now, one mom is sharing her son's story after the teenager ended up being rushed to hospital earlier this month.
Melony Sample's son, 15-year-old Jake Melton, was hospitalised on May 9 after his school became concerned that his vapes had been spiked as he 'looked like he was on drugs'.
However, the 39-year-old later discovered the teen's vape had not been laced but his excessive e-cigarette use had 'literally dehydrated' him and made his urine 'blackened', leaving Jake unconscious in hospital for 30 hours.
The mom-of-three was unaware her teen was smoking the equivalent of five cigarettes a day and he had begun using menthol nicotine pods, which have been linked to higher numbers of toxic microparticles.
Taking to Facebook, the stay-at-home mom shared her son's terrifying ordeal and issued a warning to other parents about the dangers of their kids vaping.
The post reveals photos of Jake unconscious in hospital and the mother writes 'because of a vape I may lose my child' and vows that 'every vape I've seen or will see in the future will be broke and trashed'.
Melony is warning parents to watch out for their children wearing hoodies in hot weather as she believes it's a sign 'they're most likely vaping', using the garment to hide the e-cig in their hands.
The mom, who does not vape herself, admitted she was unaware how frequently her teenager used vape pens.
She believes Jake, who works part-time laying rocks, over exerted himself while excessively smoking on the job, which led to his severe dehydration as he was 'hitting the vape' instead of eating and drinking.
Recalling Jake being rushed to hospital, Melony said: "We get down to the ER and it turns out to be just from vaping. They had him tested for everything but all he had was the vape.
"I was awake for over 30 hours and he was asleep for that long. He wouldn't talk. When he would wake up he'd curl up into a ball and shiver and jerk.
"He's still really confused. We're home but he's still in and out. He doesn't remember any of it."
Jake admits he started vaping to 'fit in' but was soon addicted.
Despite his hopsital admission, he said he plans to continue and the ordeal has not put him off e-cigs entirely.
Niamh Shackleton