Daniel Ament, who received a double lung transplant at the age of 16 due to a vaping-related illness, speaks to students in the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center. InkFreeNews photo by Liz Shepherd.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Over the last two days, local high schoolers had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Daniel Ament, a 20-year-old Michigan college student who was the first person to receive a double lung transplant due to a vaping-related illness.

Ament spoke at Tippecanoe Valley High School on Thursday, Jan. 26, and at Wawasee and Warsaw Community High Schools on Friday, Jan. 27. At the WCHS presentation, Ament elaborated on what led to him vaping and the consequences of doing so.

In his childhood and high school career, Ament frequently played sports and spent time outside, with a goal to become a Navy Seal when he was older. However, in his sophomore year, Ament sustained a knee injury, which led to him spending more time with friends and vaping.

“I would mostly just vape at parties and at lunchtime at school,” said Ament. “Vaping was mostly just a social lubricant for me. I would mostly just vape around friends.”

Ament said he first began experiencing a headache, back pain and fever prior to his symptoms worsening, which resulted in him falling into a coma and receiving a double lung transplant at the age of 16.

“In 55 days, I’d been through two hospitals, life support, was in a two-week coma and received a double lung transplant,” said Ament. “I woke up with no recollection of who I was. I had delusions and nightmares, and felt like the nurses were trying to kill me, all while being unable to talk and feeling like breathing on my own was impossible.”

As a result of his time in the hospital, Ament lost 30% of his body mass and spent months in intense physical therapy. After this happened, Ament decided to create a nonprofit, Fight4Wellness, which works toward the goal of “educating people about the dangers of vaping and other substance abuse, to improve overall mental wellness through providing ways to cope with the pressures of being a teenager, and to inspire youth to live a healthier, happier lifestyle.”

Ament asked students to think about their future selves and take action against vaping and addiction. He encouraged those who do vape to seek assistance from a trusted adult.

“After my knee injury, I felt demotivated, I got distracted and I fell for the short-term dopamine trap of vaping,” said Ament. “Is this thing that’s making you happy, is it a good thing?”

Ament’s local presentations were made possible by Live Well Kosciusko and the Kosciusko Breathe Well Coalition.