A mother has shared the frightening experience of learning her teenage daughter developed “popcorn lung” after secretly vaping for years.
Christie Martin, from Henderson, Nevada, remembers the moment she received a desperate phone call from her daughter, Brianne Cullen, who was struggling to breathe. Panicked, Christie rushed her 17-year-old to the emergency room, where doctors quickly administered oxygen, performed X-rays, and gave her medication. The diagnosis was bronchiolitis obliterans—a rare lung disease commonly referred to as “popcorn lung,” which is caused by scar tissue that blocks airflow in the lungs.
Unbeknownst to Christie, Brianne had started vaping at just 14 years old.
Recalling the day Brianne fell ill, Christie explained that her daughter had attended cheerleading practice despite having a cough and sore throat. “She was lifting kids, tumbling—it’s very demanding physically,” Christie said. “Suddenly, she called and told me she couldn’t catch her breath. I could barely understand her. She just kept saying, ‘I can’t breathe.’ It was terrifying.”
Christie believes cheerleading played a role in saving Brianne’s life, as the physical exertion exposed how serious her condition had become. “Cheer practice probably saved her. When you’re already sick and exert yourself that much, it was too much for her lungs,” she added.
Once at the ER, doctors delivered news Christie never expected. “The doctor told me, ‘We need to have a very serious conversation.’ I was completely unprepared for what came next—he said it was popcorn lung, it’s permanent, and children have died from it. We still don’t know what the long-term consequences could be.”
Brianne had been using a $25 vape every month for three years. After her diagnosis, doctors at St. Rose Dominican Hospital provided her with an inhaler to help manage her breathing.
Christie recalled her emotions during the ordeal: “We don’t know the current state of her lungs. That night at the ER, I was an emotional wreck. Doctors told us Brianne should be able to recover since we caught it early, but there’s still a risk of future problems, even cancer. I felt like I’d failed as a mother. Smoking can take years to cause damage, and your lungs may recover, but popcorn lung is irreversible.”
The diagnosis forced Brianne to quit vaping immediately. Now, Christie is speaking out to warn other parents about the dangers of vaping and e-cigarettes among teenagers.
“We need to work together to get these products off the shelves,” she urged. “This should be a warning to all parents: don’t let your kids vape under any circumstances. I pray that these devices are banned—they’re worse than cigarettes.”