Below Deck’s Fraser Olender is on the road to recovery after being hospitalized in London.
“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,” Olender, 33, wrote via Instagram on Friday, December 5, with photos from his emergency room visit. “Whatever was in my vape caused me to have a coronary artery vasospasm.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a coronary artery spasm is a quick tightening of the blood vessels that deliver blood to your heart muscle. Patients can experience chest tightness or pain extending from their chest to their neck, arms or jaw.
Olender added the 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.”
The Bravo reality star said he wanted to share his story in hopes that other people can rethink vaping moving forward.
Olender revealed he hasn’t touched a vape since the health scare happened a few weeks ago, and he has no intention of using one again.
“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 said. “I could have died for the sake of something so ridiculously stupid, so please do yourselves a favor 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 👎🏼.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, scientists still have a lot to learn about the short and long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes.
The CDC added that “no tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe.”
During his hospitalization, Olender had the help and support of his boyfriend, Matt Rogers.
In his latest social media post, Olender shared a video of the “Las Culturistas” podcast host sitting by his bedside as he recovered.
After revealing his health scare, the Below Deck chief stew also received encouragement from his extended Bravo family.
“♥️♥️♥️ Happy to see you thriving off of the vape,” Southern Hospitality star Bradley Carter wrote in the comments section. TJ Dinch added, “Glad you’re ok! 🫶🏻.”
Fans also rushed to reshare Olender’s story in hopes of spreading awareness about the dangers of vaping. As one user wrote, “Using a thirst trap to get a real message out there….That’s how it’s done!”
Before ending his post, Olender shared an unexpected benefit of not using any vapes.
“P.S. It’s been nearly 3 weeks off the vape — my skin has never been better, brighter and clearer, there MUST be a correlation. BEST skincare hack out there 👀,” he wrote. “Love you all, be safe, put your health first and thank you for all of your well wishes 🫶🏼.”
