Loyda Cordero Faliero, a 39-year-old mother from Franklinville, New York, had a life-altering nightmare after what began as a health-improvement journey.
After smoking cigarettes for more than 20 years, Faliero switched to vaping, assuming, like many others, that it was a better alternative. “I was proud of myself for quitting cigarettes,” she said in a recent interview. “I thought vaping would be the safer option.”
Less than two years later, doctors brought her to the emergency room, where she was struggling to breathe. Doctors observed extensive lung damage: air pockets had developed in the walls of her lungs, indicating bullous emphysema, a chronic, incurable type of COPD. One of the compartments had burst.
“My lung collapsed because it was filling up with the liquid from my vape,” she told LadBible. “One of the pulmonary bullae ended up bursting, and that could’ve killed me instantly.”
The disease has altered her everyday routine. Faliero now sleeps upright in a chair to prevent choking. Simple duties like cooking or dishwashing are physically demanding; even carrying a gallon of milk leaves her gasping for air.
“If I lie flat, I could choke to death on my spit,” she explained. “I can’t even stand up to make dinner without ending up in tears from the pain.”
Although bullous emphysema is typically linked to long-term smoking, Faliero’s physicians believe that in her case, vaping was the primary cause due to the accumulation of fluid and inflammation in her lungs. She’d switched from smoking to vaping around the clock, which she subsequently realized had spun out of control.
“It really has taken over my life more than I ever thought it would,” she told me. “I quit something thinking it was going to be healthier, but it destroyed me.”
Vaping has long been advertised as a ‘cleaner’ alternative to cigarettes, but new data suggests otherwise. Experts warn that breathing hot chemicals and aerosols can cause irritation, inflammation, and even long-term lung damage. While incidents like Faliero’s are uncommon, they are not isolated.
Her experience is a sad reminder that “healthier” does not imply harmless.
“I want people to understand, this isn’t just water vapor,” she told the crowd. “If I had continued vaping, I’d be on life support in five years. That’s how much devastation it has caused.”
Despite her situation, Faliero hopes that her tale will raise awareness and prompt others to think again. “Basically, I’m on my deathbed,” she explained. ” I want people to know the truth before it’s too late.”