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Fraser Olender, known for his role in “Below Deck,” recently disclosed that he endured a heart attack and lung injury due to vaping.
The 33-year-old Bravo personality shared on Instagram this past Friday that he was rushed to the hospital a few weeks ago after experiencing intense chest pains and trouble breathing. His post included a series of photos depicting his hospital stay.
Olender recounted that the ordeal required him to spend a week in various London hospitals, consulting with specialists to determine the root of his symptoms.
“In simple terms, I suffered from vape poisoning, or what is medically referred to as E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI), and it was the most terrifying and painful experience I’ve ever had,” he explained.
The American Lung Association describes EVALI as “an acute or subacute respiratory illness that can be fatal.”
Olender explained that he developed a “coronary artery vasospasm,” meaning that 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 continued.
The Bravolebrity added that he’s out of the woods and is “grateful” to be “recovering” now, but still felt the need to share the scary ordeal with his followers because “I never realised something like this could happen.”
Among the several photos and videos he shared, he also included a brief clip of his boyfriend, “Las Culturistas” podcast host Matt Rogers, supporting him by his hospital bed.
Rogers, wearing a gray hoodie, gave a small smile for the video.
Olender closed the carousel with a picture of himself holding a thumbs up while sitting on flight, showing that he’s all healed up.
“If this experience can help even one person rethink vaping, it’s worth telling,” he went on in his caption.
“I haven’t touched a vape since this happened and never will. The pain I endured for 24 hours was inexplicable, 2 rounds of morphine didn’t touch the sides and eventually had to be given the strongest pain relief legal to administer in ER – and that only brought my pain from a 10 to a 7.”
“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,” he closed.