Wigan teen's GCSE success despite collapsed lung

At the beginning of the year, life was looking very uncertain for Nathan Chesworth after he needed emergency surgery following complications from a severe chest infection.

He discovered later that his medical crisis had been due to vaping – a habit he immediately then kicked – and missed many weeks of study in the build-up to this summer’s exams.

But the Shevington 16-year-old, who attends his village’s high school, has now pulled off a remarkable turn-around in fortunes both in terms of health and his future job prospects.

For after grafting to catch up academically during convalescence, he has achieved the grades he needs to get on a plumbing course at Wigan and Leigh College.

But for a good while everything was touch and go. And according to medical experts, he was a higher risk to suffer serious chest problems from vaping because collapsed lungs disproportionately affect white boys/young men who are slim like Nathan.

Mum Rebecca Chesworth said: “Although Nathan was born premature he’s been a very healthy lad. In fact until last year I can’t remember him being ill. He stays fit, plays cricket and helps out with coaching at Spring View Cricket Club and is quite active all round.

"But before Christmas he got a severe chest infection which he couldn’t shake off. We took him to the GP three times and eventually he was given antibiotics but they didn’t have any effect and then he started coughing up blood. We were told on the fourth trip to the doctor’s that this was due to the chest infection.

"It got to the point though when he was struggling to get out of bed, was having great difficulty breathing and couldn’t get up the stairs for lack of breath. By now the new term had started and, if anything, he was getting worse, so we took him to A&E where they told him that his left lung had completely collapsed.

"They had him in ICU with this ‘pneumothorax’ and inserted a tube into his lung to drain off fluid so that it could re-aspirate.

"He is under Wythenshawe Hospital and the doctors say that that thin white males who vape are more at risk from ‘spontaneous pneumothorax.’

"Afterwards he kept having X-rays to check the lung was filling up with air again.

"He was off sick from Shevington High for two months and wasn’t right for another three. It affected him mentally too because every little pain he suffered afterwards had him thinking he’d be back in ICU. He wasn’t allowed to lift anything or do strenuous exercise for a good while either.

“He is now waiting to see whether he needs a procedure to glue the lung to the inside of his chest cavity to avoid another collapse, but hoping that’s nort necessary and he can be discharged next month.

"All this affected his GCSE preparation so we were all delighted when he got the grades to get onto the plumbing course.

"Needless to say he has jacked in vaping and says he hopes it will be a lesson to anyone else about the dangers of it.”