Reality star Fraser Olender, 33, revealed he suffered a heart attack and lung injury from vaping.
“A few weeks ago I was rushed to hospital due to severe chest pains and difficulties breathing,” the Below Deck cast member shared alongside an Instagram carousel of images of himself in hospital.
Fraser Olender, 33, revealed he suffered a heart attack and lung injury from vaping. (Instagram @fraserolender)
Olender noted that after a week in London hospitals, specialists eventually identified the cause to be vape poisoning – an E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI). It is an acute or subacute respiratory illness that can be fatal.
“I have never experienced fear or pain like it,” Olender said of his experience.
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Olender continued explaining that he developed a “coronary artery vasospasm”, meaning the arteries delivering blood to his heart “suddenly clamped down”.
“That spasm reduced blood flow enough to cause an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), better known as a heart attack – not because of a blockage, but because my heart wasn’t getting enough oxygen during the spasm,” he said.
Olender said he’d never experienced pain or fear like this before. (Instagram @fraserolender)
Almost three weeks on from the ordeal and Olender is “grateful to still be recovering”.
Even still, he was compelled to share his experience because he never realised such a thing could happen.
”If this experience can help even one person rethink vaping, it’s worth telling,” he said.
Olender hasn’t touched a vape since and has vowed never to again. He described the pain he endured as “inexplicable”.
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Almost three weeks on and Olender is grateful to be recovering from the ordeal. (Instagram @fraserolender)
“I could have died for the sake of something so ridiculously stupid, so please do yourselves a favour and give it up too – cold turkey. We do not know enough about these horrific things but I can tell you one thing; that was NOT cute, not even for the plot,” Olender wrote.
He left his 249,000 followers with this final warning: “Be safe, put your health first and thank you for all of your well wishes.”
Olender has starred on Below Deck since 2021. (Instagram @fraserolender)
Olender stars in Below Deck, a Bravo reality show chronicling the drama and personal lives of young crew members working on luxury superyachts.
He joined the series in 2021 and is confirmed to return to the series for Season 12.
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