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A widow has issued a heartbreaking warning as her wife died after quitting smoking for vaping.
Amanda Lee Hall initially kicked the cigarettes in 2013 after her dad grew ill, believing that vaping would be the healthier option.
Prior to this, she had frequently smoked for around 22 years, starting at age 14.
Although it's been estimated that e-cigarettes are around 95 percent safer than smoking, there are only estimations at this point.
Nonetheless, Amanda didn't have any problems at first - but over the next five years, she started to experience complications including frequent vomiting, weight loss and cold-like symptoms.
In September 2019, she was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with bronchitis and given a course of antibiotics.
Four days later, medics confirmed her lungs were shutting down. Though it's not been determined what caused this to happen, doctors believe vapes caused the damage to her lungs.
Amanda was kept in hospital and received high-flow oxygen therapy - sadly, the treatment didn't work and, after requiring a ventilator to breathe, she was put in a medically-induced coma and later on life support.
In February 2020, she suffered another set-back and was diagnosed with double pneumonia, before being admitted to hospital for the fourth and final time in December.
One year later, Amanda tragically passed away.
Speaking about the ordeal, the 44-year-old's wife, Kristen Hensley, said: "I was so scared, especially as I had no idea how sick she was because she had been bravely acting like it was just a cold.
"I completely believed her lungs would heal from the vaping injury and she would be healthy again – but I was wrong.
"I was told there was no meaningful chance of improvement and that it was unlikely she would ever be able to survive without the ventilator, especially as her stats wouldn’t improve – where they told me to say my goodbyes."
Since Amanda’s death, her family, including her sister, Angela, 48, are trying to piece their lives back together.
Her widow, who had been married to Amanda since 2014, set up GoFundMe in a bid to help with mounting hospital bills.
Although it was launched back in 2019, the page is still open - if you can, you can donate here.
Kristen continued: "I have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder [because of this] and I don’t sleep well due to nightmares or I wake myself up crying – it's been very difficult.
"She was the first woman I went out with and I was terrified at first, but I had so much fun with her.
"She put me at ease, made me laugh and was just so adorable.
"Life isn’t the same without her, but my love for Amanda will always stay alive – she was my everything and so much more.
"I hope my wife's story will help others who are trying to deter this deadly habit and hopefully avoid the same devastating fate we've all suffered."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Featured Image Credit: Jam PressTopics: World News, Health, Mental Health
Daisy Phillipson