Teen who began vaping to impress boyfriend left 'hours from death' with litre of liquid in lung
A teenage girl who started vaping to 'impress' her boyfriend nearly died just a week later, after medics drained a litre of liquid from her lung.
Isabella Troncao from Las Vegas, Nevada was introduced to nicotine vapes by her boyfriend some 18 months ago.
The then-15-year-old smoked legal marijuana vapes for a year-and-a-half before her boyfriend introduced her to the nicotine ones.
In 2023, Isabella first went to the doctors with a sore throat and was told she had the flu and needed to rest.
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Just days later, she was unable to walk, was struggling to breathe and felt like there was a weight crushing down on her chest, and was subsequently rushed to hospital.
Isabella was diagnosed with a serious case of sepsis and doctors were forced to perform emergency surgery at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson in October 2023.
They said that the vaping had likely contributed to the bacteria build-up in her body.
According to the NHS, sepsis is 'when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your body's own tissues and organs'.
The life-threatening condition can't be caught from another person.
In Isabella's case, she was diagnosed with bacterial infection Lemierre's Syndrome and had a litre of liquid drained from her lung.
The rare but serious health condition is when a throat infection spreads to the internal jugular vein, leading to a blood clot and potential bloodstream infection.
The procedure left her 'hours from death' and the teen had to stay in hospital for a month due to blood clots in her throat, lung and left arm.
Isabella said she would vape socially to 'impress the guy I was with'.
"They would make my throat burn and I got sick within a week," she recalled.
"It felt like there was a 50lb weight on the left side of my chest.
"I was in so much pain, it was like I wanted to breathe but I couldn't take a full breath in.
"I couldn't get up to go to the bathroom and I couldn't stay awake. My mum and my brother tried to get me to the car because I couldn't walk."
The now-16-year-old no longer dates the guy she was looking to impress.
"Me and my mum realised there must be something bad going on when I was seen straight away in the ER," she added.
"They drew my blood and it didn't take long for them to tell my mum I was in septic shock.
"It had spread all over my body, which was shutting down.
"They told me that if I had come in a few hours later that day I would have died, I was definitely close to death so that's crazy to think about."
Isabella's mum Francesca Lombardo said she was 'with her every night in hospital'.
"The worst feeling was having someone say they don't know if she's going to make it, that was really hard," the 44-year-old admitted.
"She got sick and we just thought it was a sore throat.
"I found the vape in her pocket and she was too scared to tell me where she got it from.
"She was dating a new boy and she was smoking with him, it's hard because I blame myself too.
"We all do stupid things but they're marketing these vapes with fruity flavours and fancy colours - they're worse than cigarettes.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, she is a survivor and I just couldn't be more proud as a mum."
After a life-changing experience, Isabella believes 'no one should vape' and 'it definitely feels like I've been given a second chance at life'.
Anish Vij