My wife’s vaping habit killed her — now I’m warning others

March 22, 2023

After the devastating loss of her wife, one woman is issuing a stark warning about the health risks of vaping.

Amanda Lee Hall was a smoker, turning to e-cigarettes in an attempt to kick the bad habit for good, but her lungs eventually “shut down,” resulting in her death in 2021.

“We lost the heart of our family and it’s a loss that we will never recover from,” Hensley told NeedToKnow.Online. “Since losing her, life has been miserable and I feel adrift – every day is a struggle just to function and her absence is felt to the core.”

When she and her wife Kristen Hensley wed in 2014, the pair were unaware of what tragedies were ahead.

Hall, 44, had begun smoking cigarettes at 14 until breaking the 22-year habit by turning to vapes in 2013, assuming it was healthier than traditional cigarettes. But when she began vomiting and experiencing severe weight loss – dropping nearly 60 pounds in just five months – she knew something was wrong.

Amanda Hall and Kristen Hensley in a selfie — Hall, left, smoked cigarettes for years before switching to vapes.

Hall in hospital bed and Hensley taking photo — Things took a turn when Hall lost a drastic amount of weight and began vomiting.

In September 2019, she was rushed to the hospital where clinicians diagnosed her with bronchitis, and gave her antibiotics.

But just four days later, the doctors discovered that her lungs were shutting down and placed Hall on high-flow oxygen, then a ventilator and a medically-induced coma a month later.

Eventually, she was put on life support before being discharged in November.

“I was so scared, especially as I had no idea how sick she was because she had been bravely acting like it was just a cold,” Hensley, from North Carolina, recalled. “I completely believed her lungs would heal from the vaping injury and she would be healthy again – but I was wrong.”

In February 2020, Hall contracted pneumonia in both lungs and was admitted to the hospital again, and in December suffered a fourth setback before her passing in February 2021.

Amanda Hall in hospital bed — Hall suffered multiple health setbacks before succumbing to her lung injuries.

Amanda Hall on machines in hospital — Hensley is using her late wife’s story as a warning to other people who vape.

In a year-and-a-half, Hall and Hensley’s lives changed drastically.

“I was told there was no meaningful chance of improvement and that it was unlikely she would ever be able to survive without the ventilator, especially as her stats wouldn’t improve – where they told me to say my goodbyes,” said Hensley, who was left to deal with the immense grief and mounting medical bills.

“I was able to talk to her and hold her hand while she was dying until she closed her eyes and took her last breath.”

Amanda Hall with walker — “I completely believed her lungs would heal from the vaping injury and she would be healthy again – but I was wrong,” Hall’s widow said.

Amanda Hall on couch with dogs — In under two years, the couple’s lives drastically changed.

While Hall’s records don’t explicitly blame her vaping habit for the lung injury, Hensley said the doctors suggested it could be.

The US Food and Drug Administration estimates that one in 10 – or more than 2.5 million – US middle or high schoolers vaped last year, while more than 5 million adults are estimated to be vape users, per a study published in the JAMA Network Open.

“Amanda wanted others to be aware of the dangers of vaping and the opportunity to share her story, even if it only helps one person, would be amazing,” Hensley said.

“People are dying from this habit.”

Hall and Hensley laying in bed — “People are dying from this,” Hensley warned.

Amanda Hall with oxygen tank — Hall was first admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with bronchitis.

Hall isn’t the only e-cigarette user duped into believing vapes are a lung-conscious alternative to tobacco darts. Last year, 23-year-old Grace Brassel shared her horrifying ordeal with a collapsed lung on TikTok, which she believed could have been aggravated by her vaping habit.

The FDA even attempted to ban the sale of Juuls, a popular e-cigarette brand, last year due to safety concerns.

“With smoking, at least doctors know what the long-term effects are but this is new and unregulated,” Hensley said, referring to vapes. “No one knows what it is really doing to people.”

Amanda Hall in wheelchair — Hall passed in February 2021.

John Hopkins Medicine warns e-cigarette users that while vaping might be less harmful than traditional cigarettes, it doesn’t come without risk. Lung injury and deaths have been reported, while researchers discovered undisclosed chemicals present in the vape juice that could pose health risks.

Prior studies have also linked vaping to an increased risk of eating disorders, diabetes and mental health issues.

Hensley has now developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of Hall’s death, saying she doesn’t “sleep well due to nightmares” or wakes herself up crying.

Hall and Hensley in a selfie — “I hope my wife’s story will help others who are trying to deter this deadly habit and hopefully avoid the same devastating fate we’ve all suffered,” Hensley said.

Hensley and Hall — Hensley began a GoFundMe page years ago when Hall was in the hospital fighting for her life, hoping to raise money for medical expenses.

“She was the first woman I went out with and I was terrified at first, but I had so much fun with her,” she said. “She put me at ease, made me laugh and was just so adorable.”

Now, Hensley has a GoFundMe page, which began when Hall was first diagnosed, to raise money for medical bills. She’s raised just over $2,000 so far.

“Life isn’t the same without her, but my love for Amanda will always stay alive – she was my everything and so much more,” Hensley said.

“I hope my wife’s story will help others who are trying to deter this deadly habit and hopefully avoid the same devastating fate we’ve all suffered.”