Fraser Olender, known for his role on Below Deck, recently disclosed a significant health scare linked to vaping, which nearly cost him his life. The 33-year-old reality star experienced a severe heart attack due to vaping.
On Friday, Olender took to Instagram to share his ordeal, posting several images from his hospital stay along with a detailed health update. He revealed the gravity of his situation with his followers.
In his caption, Olender wrote: “I was rushed to hospital due to severe chest pains and difficulties breathing,” explaining that he had been consulting with specialists in London for several weeks during his recovery.
“To keep it simple — I had vape poisoning, (an E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI)) and I have never experienced fear or pain like it.”
This condition triggered a coronary artery vasospasm, which he further described as ‘the arteries supplying blood to my 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,” Olender explained.
Olender shared his experience to raise awareness, stating: “I’m sharing this because I never realised something like this could happen. If this experience can help even one person rethink vaping, it’s worth telling.”
He detailed the frightening nature of his ordeal, describing the intense pain he went through and how close he was to a fatal outcome.
“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,” he shared. “I haven’t touched a vape since this happened and never will.”
Reflecting on how the incident led him to quit vaping permanently, Olender expressed hope that his story might inspire others to abandon the habit.
“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 👎🏼.”
EVALI, first identified in 2019, is a severe respiratory illness linked to vaping.
The American Lung Association notes that symptoms of this illness include shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, and fever. Approximately half of all cases are serious enough to necessitate emergency care in intensive care units.
Treatment options may involve supportive oxygenation, medications such as antibiotics or antivirals to combat infection, and corticosteroids to alleviate lung inflammation.