A woman from Arizona experienced a near-fatal lung injury after switching from traditional cigarettes to vaping, highlighting the potential for severe respiratory complications even when attempting to adopt what is perceived as a “healthier” alternative. Kara Mullins, 49, found her lungs became severely damaged, described as “crispy,” after four years of vaping.
Mullins began smoking at age 16 and continued for nearly three decades before turning to e-cigarettes. “I thought I was doing something healthier. I knew vaping wasn’t great, but I thought it was better than smoking,” she stated. She consumed approximately one vaping pod every two days.
In December 2025, Mullins contracted the flu from her eight-year-old son. What began as mild breathlessness rapidly escalated into severe respiratory distress by the end of the month. Her husband, Bear Boykin, immediately took her to the hospital, but Mullins has no recollection of the subsequent events.
She was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and required mechanical ventilation to support her breathing. After four days in the hospital, she was placed into a medically induced coma and airlifted to a larger medical facility in Phoenix. Mullins, a sleep coach by profession, remained unconscious for a week.
Doctors informed her husband that while the flu caused significant inflammation in her lungs, the residue from vaping had rendered them fragile and “crispy.” This fragility caused the lungs to tear as they attempted to expand during breathing. “From what I’ve been told, what the vape does, because of the oils, [it] puts a residue on your lungs and makes them crispy, and that’s what caused the damage,” Mullins explained.
The damage was so severe that doctors believe Mullins has sustained permanent lung damage. “I have a lot of scar tissue. They need to do more diagnostics on me but I have permanent damage to my lungs from it,” she said. She is no longer requiring supplemental oxygen, but continues to experience limitations in her physical activity and lingering pain with deep breaths.
Mullins’s case arrives amidst ongoing concerns about the safety of vaping products. While often marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, a growing body of research suggests vaping carries its own significant health risks. Approximately 6 percent of U.S. Adults, roughly 17 million people, report regular vaping, with the highest rates observed among young adults aged 18 to 24 (over 15 percent) and approximately 1.6 million middle and high school students.
Traditional cigarette smoking is a known cause of nine in ten cases of lung cancer, but vaping is increasingly linked to other adverse health outcomes, including high blood pressure and stroke. Recent research from the Mayo Clinic, published earlier in 2026, identified a toxic chemical in lung biopsies from patients with vaping-related illnesses, suggesting that direct chemical toxicity is a primary driver of lung injury. The Mayo Clinic study found no evidence of lipid accumulation as a cause, instead pointing to damage from “noxious chemical fumes.” Two patients in that study died from their injuries.
Vaping devices produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that typically contains nicotine, flavorings, and a variety of chemicals. Inhaling this vapor delivers potentially harmful substances deep into the lungs, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and other volatile organic compounds, some of which are known carcinogens. These substances can cause lung tissue damage, potentially leading to DNA mutations and inflammation, increasing cancer risk.
In a separate case, a New Jersey man recently died from an aggressive form of lung cancer believed to be directly linked to his vaping habit, marking what doctors have described as the first documented case of its kind.
Mullins has since quit vaping and is now advocating for others, particularly young people, to avoid the habit. “I have not touched [a vape] since I was hospitalized. My will to live is much stronger than that,” she said. “I just want people to know that vaping could permanently damage them, if not even kill them. Value yourself more than that.”
While Mullins continues to undergo further testing to fully assess the long-term impact of her vaping-related lung injury, her experience serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with e-cigarette use, even for those seeking to reduce harm from traditional smoking.
