17-year-old Brianne Cullen rang her mom saying she couldn’t breathe
A mom has recalled a difficult conversation she had with a doctor after her teenage daughter fell unwell with ‘popcorn lung’.
Christie Martin was gripped by terror when she received a frantic call from her daughter, Brianne Cullen, who gasped in distress, unable to catch her breath.
In a panic, Christie rushed her 17-year-old to the nearest ER, where doctors quickly administered oxygen, performed X-rays, and provided medication. After a tense few hours, the diagnosis came: bronchiolitis obliterans — more commonly known as “popcorn lung.” This rare and severe lung condition, caused by a build-up of scar tissue that obstructs airflow, was a terrifying revelation.
What Christie didn’t know at the time was that Brianne had been secretly vaping since she was just 14 years old. Recalling the day her daughter’s health began to rapidly decline, Christie, a resident of Henderson, Nevada, said, “Brianne was cheering, feeling sick with a cough and sore throat. She was lifting and tumbling, all while struggling with the physical strain. Then, suddenly, she called me, gasping for air. She kept repeating, ‘I can’t breathe,’ and I couldn’t even understand her. It was the most terrifying moment of my life.”
Yet, in an unexpected twist, Christie believes the very sport that pushed Brianne to her limits may have ultimately saved her life.
“Cheerleading literally saved her,” Christie explained. “The physical exertion she was putting out during practice, on top of already being sick, was what exposed how badly she couldn’t breathe. Without it, we might not have known how serious it was.”
“The doctor walked in, her face grave, and said, ‘We need to have a very serious conversation,'” Christie recalled of their frantic rush to the hospital.
“I was not prepared for what she was about to tell me—that it was popcorn lung, a permanent condition, and that children are actually dying from it. We still don’t know if there will be long-term effects.”
Brianne, who had been using a $25 vape she purchased monthly for three years, was given an inhaler at St. Rose Dominican Hospital to help with her breathing. Christie continued, “We still don’t know the full extent of the damage to her lungs. I was a wreck that night in the ER. The doctors told me she should be able to make a full recovery because we caught it early, but they also warned that it could lead to future complications, like cancer. I felt like I had failed as a mother.”
Christie reflected on the difference between smoking and popcorn lung: “Smoking takes years to show its effects, and your lungs can heal from it. But popcorn lung is irreversible.”
“It took a life-threatening diagnosis for her to stop,” the concerned mother added, her voice filled with worry.
Now, Christie is on a mission to warn other parents and push for stronger action against the rise of vaping among young people.
“We need to unite and take these products off the market,” she urged. “This is a cautionary tale—don’t let your kids vape, no matter what. I pray they ban these devices; they’re even more dangerous than smoking.”
