Fraser Olender is in recovery following a medical crisis related to vaping.
On Friday, the “Below Deck” star disclosed on Instagram that he had suffered “a coronary artery vasospasm” from repeated vape use.
“Medically, that means the arteries supplying blood to my heart suddenly clamped down,” he wrote. “That 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 star first shared a glimpse of the ordeal on his Instagram stories after BravoCon, when he was “rushed to hospital” due to chest pain and difficulty breathing. After a week of medical visits with various specialists, the cause of Olender’s crisis was identified.
“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,” he shared.
Olender said he’s still in recovery, and hasn’t vaped since the incident occurred three weeks ago. He urged his followers to follow suit.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Olender first appeared in Season 9 of Bravo’s “Below Deck” as a second stew. He went on to become one of the franchise’s chief stews and most recently appeared in Season 12, which wrapped its run in September.