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Parents of New Lenox teen hospitalized on her way to college call for statewide ban on flavored vaping products

A New Lenox couple tearfully pleaded with parents and legislators Thursday to take a stand against the vaping industry after their 18-year-old daughter was hospitalized in Colorado last month with a respiratory illness that has mystified public health officials and sickened dozens across the state and hundreds across the country, including one Illinois resident who died.

“It’s terrifying,” said Ruby Johnson, who described how her daughter Piper, who had vaped both THC and nicotine e-cigarette products, became sick as they drove from their New Lenox home to the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, where she’s now a freshman.

After complaining of a cough and that her chest hurt when taking a deep breath, Piper had a fever that rose to higher than 102 degrees, Johnson said. After they made it to Greeley the next day, her mother took her to an urgent care center and eventually to an emergency room.

Although doctors at first thought Piper might have pneumonia, she was admitted to the hospital after her oxygen levels dropped and she told a physician she had been vaping, Johnson said. After a weeklong stay, oxygen and steroids, Piper is feeling better and remains at college, her mother said, but it’s unclear if she’ll have lasting damage to her lungs.

As Piper continues to recover and attend classes, her parents, Ruby and Tim Johnson, addressed reporters Thursday at the law firm of a friend. They said they aren’t considering litigation but do want to lobby legislators to ban flavored vaping product, as Michigan did this week. Ruby also told her daughter’s story on Facebook last week in a post that was shared more than 500,000 times.

In recent weeks, after a series of hospitalizations of patients with a history of vaping, state and federal public health officials have strengthened warnings against e-cigarettes, popular among young people. The devices heat up liquid often containing nicotine or THC, creating an aerosol to inhale. The liquids can be flavored, drawing public accusations against companies like Juul Labs, a popular e-cigarette brand, that the devices are marketed to a young audience.

Ruby Johnson said her daughter told her she first vaped in her sophomore year in high school, drawn in by the fruity flavors. Her use increased to about two to three pods, which hold the liquid, per week, until she stopped about a week before heading to college, Ruby Johnson said, explaining that Piper became concerned when her chest started to hurt.

Piper also told her parents she tried vaping THC oil, which the vaping industry is pointing to as the culprit in the rash of hospitalizations. Often teens buy devices with THC oil off the street. Although public officials haven’t outright blamed THC vaping, they’ve identified a common ingredient in THC oil that patients vaped — a chemical derived from vitamin E. While harmless when ingested as a vitamin or applied to skin, it can cause damage if inhaled, officials said.

But physicians have long warned teens about the dangers of vaping any products, which contain harmful chemicals used for flavoring, and can have higher nicotine content than tobacco cigarettes. While smoking among young people has plummeted in recent years, vaping has spiked, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Johnsons say their daughter and her peers “have been actively pursued” by vaping companies, tried vaping and got hooked. Through tears, Tim Johnson said it’s his hope that his younger children never see others vaping in school.

“Our government is not moving fast enough to protect our kids in this epidemic,” added Ruby Johnson. The couple said they’ve contacted elected officials as well as their local school districts to further education for teens and parents.

Earlier this week, another Chicago-area teen’s mother spoke out against vaping after her son was hospitalized; he is expected to recover. Polly Hergenreder, of Gurnee, said she had warned her son Adam against vaping, especially since the recent hospitalizations. The 18-year-old vowed Tuesday from his hospital bed to never vape again and advised his peers not to start.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, at least 42 people have been hospitalized across Illinois as of Thursday for the vaping illness. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration continue to join state health officials in investigating the cases.

The Washington Post contributed.

kthayer@chicagotribune.com