Escarlen De los Santos, a 30-year-old woman from the Dominican Republic, died on Wednesday after warning her followers about vaping in her final moments.
She told her fans “look at me now” as she lay in a hospital bed, referring to her physical deterioration from respiratory failure linked to prolonged vape and hookah use.
Doctors in Los Hatillos connected her declining health to her vaping habit, which she said was “destroying her from the inside.”
In one of her final videos, she urged followers to depart vapes alone and not endure the same physical torment she experienced.
Her videos, recorded during her hospitalization, have gone viral across Latin America as a warning about the dangers of nicotine delivery systems.
Health officials in the Dominican Republic are concerned about a spike in vaping-related lung injuries following her death.
Her passing came shortly after the death of 22-year-old Frank Sosa in the same municipality, suggesting a potential public health cluster.
The Dominican Ministry of Public Health faces growing pressure to implement stricter age controls and health warnings on vaping products.
What medical officials found in her case
Physicians diagnosed Escarlen De los Santos with respiratory failure that led to severe pulmonary complications.
They attributed her condition directly to the prolonged use of vapes and hookahs based on her medical history and symptoms.
Her case highlights the respiratory risks associated with electronic nicotine delivery systems, particularly among young adults.
How her warning spread online
Escarlen recorded multiple videos from her hospital bed, appearing frail and struggling to breathe while speaking to her followers.
In these clips, she pleaded with her generation to abandon vaping and choose exercise and fresh air instead.
The content resonated widely, spreading across social media platforms in Latin America after her death.
What caused Escarlen De los Santos’ death?
She died of respiratory failure leading to severe pulmonary complications, which doctors linked to her prolonged use of vapes and hookahs.
Where was she from and where did she die?
Escarlen De los Santos came from Los Hatillos in the Dominican Republic and died in a hospital there on Wednesday.
