HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — More than a thousand school districts will receive money as settlements with the e-cigarette brand Juul following a lawsuit against the company. It accuses the brand of marketing its products to young people.
During Tuesday's Hillsborough County School Board meeting, board members are set to discuss how much money the district will receive from the settlement.
Alexander Barbieri is now 20 years old. When he was in high school, he became addicted to vaping.
“One morning I woke up, and I couldn’t breathe," Barbieri said.
At first, his family thought maybe he had COVID-19, but that wasn't the case.
“Every time I took a breath, it was like hammers were hitting my chest," he explained.
Barbieri spent more than two months in the hospital struggling with several health issues, including damage to his lungs. He believes vaping is what caused his medical problems.
“Even to this day, if I run or walk or do certain things, I need to take a beat because I can’t breathe properly," Barbieri said.
He said as a teen, it's easy to feel invincible like he once did.
“Why would you want to put something in your body that is going to shorten your life span or take away your life?" he asked.