Connecting the Dots for Ksenia

Three years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an investigation and five deaths nationally due to vaping-related lung injuries. A team right here at Children’s Wisconsin was the first to bring this to the CDC and nation’s attention. Just weeks prior, 11 teens were rushed to Children’s Wisconsin with severe lung injuries and no one knew why. As soon as doctors narrowed down the cause to vaping, Children’s Wisconsin warned the public and soon learned it was a national issue. 

The Children’s Wisconsin team didn’t stop there. They have become advocates for children, working each day to prevent more from vaping and coming up with resources for those who want to quit. Wisconsin was the first state to discover e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), yet is one of the last states to raise the age of tobacco purchase to 21. We discovered the disease, yet we can't protect our children.

Watch Ksenia’s story, the sixth EVALI patient to be seen at Children’s Wisconsin, to learn more about EVALI and how teens like her can be saved from vaping.