Local teen shares story after nearly dying due to vaping – KOKI FOX 23 TULSA

COPAN, Okla. If you walk into Copan High Schools basketball gym, you will see a poster of 17-year-old Addie Hunter.

Theres also a good chance, she may be there shooting some hoops.

By the looks of her now, it's hard to believe that about four months ago she was in the hospital fighting for her life.

Addie said she used to vape, and according to her, doctors said the habit caused blisters to form on her lungs causing the left one to collapse, nearly killing her.

It was Oct. 14, 2023.

I remember sitting on the couch, and I text my mom and said, Mom, I can't breathe," Addie recounted.

Addie has severe asthma, so they've had trips to the hospital before, but Scott and Andrea Hunter sensed this time was different.

In fact, they were headed to Tulsa but knew they couldn't make it and stopped at Bailey Medical Center in Owasso.

"About 30 seconds before we got there, she couldn't breathe any more at all, Andrea said. She said, Mom, I can't feel my legs, and I cant see."

"Everything went into slow motion, Addie said. Pitch went way down, and it justlike everything went black, and I passed out. I remember passing out in my dad's arms cause I was leaned up against the door, and he opened it.

It frightens you because you have no idea what is going on, and she has never been this way before," Scott said.

Andrea explained what the doctors told them.

"Her oxygen in her blood was 50 percent, and she was about a minute and a half from death at that point, Andrea said.

Oxygen and steroids helped her to get past that episode, but as she was being transferred to St. Francis Childrens Hospital, she had another.

She was stabilized from that, and then she had a third episode.

That's when doctors put Addie in a paralytic coma.

Three hours later, Andrea was allowed to see her.

"And so umwalking in that moment was the hardest moment of my life because she couldn't communicate, she couldn't talk, she was intubated, she was paralyzed. She was there, but not there and that broke me. It broke my heart," Andrea said tearing up.

You just kind of lay there, Addie said about being in the coma. You don't care about anything; you don't think about anything and you're just kind of there."

On day three, the family got some bad news.

Andrea said the doctors felt Addie wouldnt make it as the treatments werent working, but the Hunters said they knew God was bigger, and that Addie had a testimony to share.

We stood firm on holy ground the entire time, had thousands of people praying for us and her," Andrea remembered.

That was also the day Andrea found a vape in Addie's bag.

I gave it to them [doctors] immediately and they kind of changed course at that point, Andrea said, then explaining what doctors later told her about Addies condition due to vaping.

When it went down into her lungs, it turned back into vegetable oil and Vitamin E oil, and it set on her lungs. Then it heated up with thermal energy and created blisters on her lungs, Andrea told FOX23.

Doctors said the blisters caused one of Addies lungs to collapse.

According to The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, one in ten high schoolers across the country reported using vapes in 2023.

In Oklahoma, that number was double at close to 22 percent.

Like Addie, many of them are addicted.

I would try to quit like a lot, Addie told FOX23. I remember being at work and setting a 15-minute timer and being like, Okay, now I need it, how long can I go without it? Then I would just set 15-minute timers over and over again, and I genuinely think the longest I went without it was like two hours."

The trend is growing among middle schoolers too, especially with the marketing of flavored vape.

The Centers for Disease Control said in the United States in 2023, one out of every 22 middle schoolers, so close to five percent, used vapes.

Addie said she's not surprised because that's when she started.

"You are like a sponge when you are a middle schooler, Addie said. You literally suck up everything that you are told to do, that you think would look cool."

Furthermore, with some vapes being the size of a flash drive, she said they are easy to hide.

Addie and her parents hope her story will reach others.

Twelve days after going into the coma, doctors were able to bring Addie out of it.

For her to open those eyes and look around, that was the best moment of our lives, Andrea said smiling.

Twenty days later, Addie was released from the hospital, already starting vigorous physical therapy.

You have to learn how to talk again, Addie said. I had to relearn how to move my hands and motor skills. I couldn't move my fingers."

By January, as if one miracle wasn't enough, Addie Hunter stepped back on to the court to finish out her high school basketball career.

What's it like stepping foot on the court knowing everything you've gone through," FOX23 Evening Anchor Sara Whaley asked her.

I felt normal because for so long I didn't feel normal, Addie answered. In all honesty, I came back better than I was before.

The Hunters have a message for other parents.

Talk to your kids about it. We even talked to our kids about it, but keep talking to them," Scott said.

And check on anxiety, Andrea added. Being in high school is hard, especially today, so check on their anxiety levels and depression. I think she was dealing with a lot of anxiety and we had no idea, and she was turning towards the vape thinking it was helping her."

Addie has advice for other teens as well.

It's not worth it. Really. It's just.don't skip out on your life," Addie said.

Addie is figuring out where she'd like to go to college.

She said she would like to walk on a basketball team somewhere.

FOX23 has compiled a list of resources to help you educate yourself and your children about vaping and the effects it can have:

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Local teen shares story after nearly dying due to vaping - KOKI FOX 23 TULSA