DALLAS, Texas (KETK) – A 17-year-old is in critical condition at Children’s Health in Dallas in what doctors believe may be the latest outbreak of illness related to vaping.
Whitney Livingston, of Tyler, went from a healthy teenage to relying on a ventilator to help her breath in just two weeks.
Her mother, Jennifer Audas, knew it was no secret that Whitney vaped.
“She had told me she was smoking cigarettes,” Audas said. “and I thought it was safe to smoke something else that was more vape.”
Audas said her daughter never showed signs from vaping after using the e-cigarettes for two years but suddenly came down with a fever that quickly progressed to pneumonia, according to NBCDFW.
“The doctor said that it looked like no pneumonia he had ever seen,” Audas said.
Public health officials are still looking into the dangers of vaping as sudden illnesses are reported.
Audas hopes to spread the word that vaping is a danger to kids and warn other parents to be aware of what your kids are into.
“I felt like this was my fault because I was letting my kid do this because I was letting my kid do this,” Audas said.
As for now, Whitney’s family is asking for prayers and peace as she recovers.
