Young Woman Given 18 Months to Live After Vaping-Related Lung Cancer Diagnosis

A 22-year-old retail assistant from Manchester, UK, has been given just 18 months to live following a lung cancer diagnosis that she believes resulted from years of vaping. Kayley Boda, who began vaping at age 15, is now using her story to warn others about the potential dangers of e-cigarettes.

Boda’s health troubles began in January 2025 when she started coughing up a brown substance with “grainy bits” in it. Despite seeking medical help, doctors dismissed her concerns eight separate times, attributing her symptoms to a chest infection.

“Doctors turned me away eight times with a chest infection…. Then I started coughing up blood, so they did an X-ray and found a shadow on my lung,” Boda explained. Even then, medical professionals attempted to reassure her, saying they were “99% sure” it wasn’t cancer given her young age.

Only after she began coughing up bright red blood in March 2025 did doctors conduct a chest X-ray, revealing a shadow on her lower right lung. Following seven biopsies over four months, Boda was diagnosed with stage one lung cancer in August 2025.

Her treatment journey has been harrowing. In September 2025, surgeons removed the lower lobe of her right lung and surrounding lymph nodes. During the procedure, doctors discovered the cancer had spread to six lymph nodes, upgrading her diagnosis to stage three. Following surgery, Boda had to relearn how to walk and struggled with breathing difficulties.

“After the surgery, I started chemo and I had a terrible reaction to it. I couldn’t lift my head up. I was throwing up blood. I was urinating blood. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep,” she recalled.

Despite these challenges, Boda received encouraging news in February 2026 when she was given the all-clear. However, her relief was short-lived. Just one month later, she began experiencing extreme chest pains and was diagnosed with a pleural effusion – a buildup of fluid in the lungs. Tests on this fluid revealed the cancer had returned to the pleural lining of her lungs, leading to the terminal prognosis.

“The oncologist said this is so rare, and usually something they see in patients that are 80 years old,” Boda said.

Though doctors haven’t definitively pinpointed the cause of her cancer, Boda firmly believes her vaping habit is to blame. She had used reusable vapes since age 15 and switched to disposable vapes shortly before her symptoms began.

“My symptoms started a few months after I started disposable vapes, and there’s no lung cancer in my family,” she explained. “I was very naive before my diagnosis. I thought something like this would never happen to me.”

The young woman’s case adds to growing concerns about vaping safety, particularly among young people. Last year, a 26-year-old Pennsylvania woman reported that her lungs collapsed after just one year of vaping, which she began at age 22.

Health experts warn that vaping can lead to numerous serious health issues beyond lung problems. Dr. David Campbell, clinical director at Recover Together Bend in Oregon, notes that vaping increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, and exposes users to harmful heavy metals.

Boda has since quit vaping and has convinced her partner and mother to stop as well. She’s now urging friends and the public to heed her warning: “Stay off the vapes because they will catch up with you.”

As her condition progresses, Boda is hoping to raise money for treatments that might extend her life beyond the 18-month prognosis she’s been given.

Her story emerges amid increasing global restrictions on vaping. Many popular vacation destinations have begun implementing strict bans on e-cigarettes in public spaces, reflecting growing public health concerns about their safety.