A woman from Arizona narrowly escaped death when her lungs suffered severe damage, described as ‘crispy,’ due to vaping.

Kara Mullins began smoking at the age of 16 and continued for nearly three decades before switching to vaping, thinking it was a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes.

“I thought I was making a healthier choice. I understood vaping wasn’t without risks, but assumed it was less harmful than smoking,” she remarked.

At 49, Mullins had been vaping consistently for four years, consuming one pod every two days. In December 2025, she contracted the flu from her eight-year-old son, which escalated from mild breathlessness to severe respiratory distress by the month’s end.

Her husband, Bear Boykin, urgently took her to the hospital, though Mullins says she has no memory of the events that followed.

She was informed afterward that she had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and placed on a ventilator to assist her breathing. After spending four days in the hospital, she was put into a medically-induced coma and airlifted to a larger facility in Phoenix.

Mullins, who works as a sleep coach, remained unconscious for a week. Doctors told her husband that he lungs were severely inflamed from the flu, but the residue from her vape had caused them to become fragile and ‘crispy.’ This made them tear when they expanded to breathe. 

Mullins said: ‘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.

Kara Mullins, 49, switched to vaping four years ago after nearly 30 years of smoking cigarettes because she believed vaping was ‘healthier.’ However, the habit triggered possibly permanent lung damage 

‘Because of the inflammation that I had, the doctors told my husband smoking the vape caused my lungs to tear because they weren’t expanding like a normal person’s.

‘Had I not smoked the vape, I wouldn’t have gone through everything I did and have the damage I do now.’

Mullins’ warning comes as roughly six percent of US adults, about 17 million, report vaping regularly. 

The highest rates are seen in young adults aged 18 to 24, with more than 15 percent in that group reporting regular use. Among children, about 1.6 million middle and high school students vape, though usage has declined since its peak in 2019.

Vaping has long been touted as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes, which is proven to cause nine in 10 cases of lung cancer, America’s deadliest form of the disease.

However, a growing body of research has found vaping could be linked to other long-term harms such as high blood pressure and stroke. 

Earlier this year, doctors writing in a medical journal detailed the case of a New Jersey man who died of aggressive lung cancer, the first case of its kind thought to be directly caused by e-cigarettes. 

E-cigarettes produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings and a mixture of toxic chemicals.

When inhaled, this vapor can deliver harmful substances deep into the lungs, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and other volatile organic compounds known to cause cancer.

These substances can damage lung tissue, and over time, this damage can lead to DNA mutations and inflammation which increase the risk of cancer.

Mullins is pictured here in the hospital. She had to be placed in a medically induced coma after her lungs became ‘crispy,’ she claims

Mullins, pictured here with her husband and son, likely has permanent lung damage now and has struggled to get back to her once active lifestyle

While Mullins still has to undergo further tests to assess the impact of her vaping, doctors believe there is permanent damage to her lungs. 

‘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. 

‘After I woke up and [the doctors] explained what happened I was scared for my life. I was scared I wouldn’t live a normal life again.’

She was released from the hospital on January 12 and no longer has to use supplemental oxygen, but she still struggles with maintaining her once active lifestyle. Being in a coma has also left her with some brain fog and memory issues. 

Mullins said: ‘I’m still pretty young and I have a son that’s eight. Me and my husband are really active, we hike a lot. I can’t really walk long distances yet. When I take a deep breath I do have pain in my lungs.’

Following the ordeal, Mullins has quit vaping and is now encouraging other young people to stay away from 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.’