Students at Bridgewater Jr. High listen to a presentation on the dangers of vaping. Photo Credit: Evan Taylor
A normal and healthy 19-year-old girl showed up at South Shore Regional Hospital for a routine procedure, a few hours later she would find herself battling for her life. This would be the catalyst that led to Dr. Reza Ghaffari to giving presentations at schools warning about the dangers of vaping.
The story, as Dr. Ghaffari tells it, is meant to be relatable for students to understand the dangers of vaping. Fortunately, the girl mentioned in the story did recover after spending two nights in the ICU.
At the conclusion of the presentation during a Q&A in response to being asked by one of the school staff why the students had been asked to watch the presentation, one student replied, “Because of all the people ‘seshing’ in the bathrooms”. A statement that may point to the need for more talks like the one held this week at Bridgewater Junior High School.
Dr. Ghaffari intends to take his presentation to other schools.
“I’m going to go to New Germany and other schools in the area, I just felt with a small community like ours it might be good for kids to hear it from someone in person.”
The issue of youth vaping is currently at the forefront with the Nova Scotia government announcing earlier this month its plans to eliminate the sale of flavored vaping juices across the province. The move hopes to prevent youth vaping rates in the province from rising further.
