“Below Deck” star Fraser Olender is urging fans to put down the vape pens after a terrifying medical emergency that left him hospitalized with a lung injury and a heart attack — all linked to vaping.
The 33-year-old chief stew shared the news on Instagram, posting photos from his hospital bed and explaining that the last few weeks have been spent recovering from what he called “vape poisoning.”
“I was rushed to hospital due to severe chest pains and difficulties breathing,” Fraser wrote. Specialists later told him he’d suffered an EVALI-related coronary artery vasospasm — meaning the arteries feeding his heart suddenly clamped shut. “That spasm reduced blood flow enough to cause an ST-elevation myocardial infarction,” he explained. “I have never experienced fear or pain like it.”
Fraser Olender’s Vaping Health Scare
According to the American Heart Association, EVALI — first identified in 2019 — can land more than half of patients in the ICU. Fraser’s case was severe enough that two rounds of morphine didn’t ease the pain. “The pain I endured for 24 hours was inexplicable,” he wrote. “They eventually had to give me the strongest pain relief legal in the ER — and that only brought my pain from a 10 to a 7.”
Fraser, who appears to be leaning on boyfriend Matt Rogers through recovery, mixed in a few lighthearted photos — yes, including a red-light-therapy-mask moment — but made it clear this was no Bravo plot twist. “I could have died for the sake of something so ridiculously stupid,” he said. “Please do yourselves a favor and give it up too — cold turkey.”
He also claimed one unexpected perk of quitting: “It’s been nearly 3 weeks off the vape — my skin has never been better, brighter and clearer. BEST skincare hack out there.”
Fraser ended his message with gratitude to fans. “Love you all, be safe, put your health first,” he wrote.
Want even juicier Bravo tea? Sign up for Cocktail Party here.
