Man Who Vaped for 9 Years Issues Terrifying Warning After His Lung Collapsed

A 24-year-old man who vaped for nearly a decade is sounding the alarm after a terrifying health scare left him hospitalized with a collapsed lung.

For years, vaping has been marketed as a “safer” alternative to smoking — a way to quit cigarettes without the devastating health consequences. But one young man’s story is proof that vaping can carry its own serious risks.

From Teenage Habit to Health Crisis

Raymond Dehn, from Buffalo, New York, started vaping at just 15 years old. A local shop sold him vape products without checking ID, and what began as a casual habit quickly turned into an addiction. Soon, he was also using THC pens, making vaping a daily routine throughout his late teens and early 20s.

But on September 13, everything changed. After finishing work, Dehn sat in his car and took a hit from both his vape and THC pen. Within moments, he felt something he describes as “a searing pain” in his shoulder blades.

“I remember coughing — which wasn’t unusual — but then this pain hit me so hard I could barely move,” Dehn recalled. “It kept getting worse. I was trying not to scream, but when I started walking through the mall, the pain grew so rapidly that I passed out.” 

Rushed to the Hospital

An ambulance rushed Dehn to the hospital, where an X-ray revealed the shocking truth: his lung had collapsed.

“I was honestly so shocked. It was terrifying to hear that my lung had just given out like that,” he said. “I’ve always thought of myself as young and healthy, so to suddenly be told I had a broken lung was unreal.”

Doctors couldn’t pinpoint an exact cause but noted they had seen at least three or four other young patients with the same issue in just the last six months. The one thing they all had in common? They vaped.

A Wake-Up Call

Dehn spent four nights in the hospital with a tube inserted into his chest to reinflate his lung. He says the experience has left him shaken — and determined to warn others.

“Every few minutes I get this overwhelming fear it could happen again,” he admitted. “The whole experience is burned into me. That’s why I want to speak out. I don’t want anyone else my age to go through this.”

Since leaving the hospital, Dehn has quit vaping completely. His message to others is simple but urgent: don’t wait until it’s too late to quit.