Wilmington stepmother plans to raise awareness of vaping dangers following son’s death
On Saturday, June 17th, 15-year-old Solomon Wynn died, less than 3 weeks after his birthday
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — On Saturday, June 17th, 15-year-old Solomon Wynn died, less than 3 weeks after his birthday.
Solomon’s former stepmother, Charlene Zorn, says while hypoxia is listed as his cause of death, she believes his true cause of death is vaping. She says it’s a habit Solomon started as early as 7th grade. Zorn said in just a few months, Solomon’s health had declined drastically.
“This is a child that last football season, played football and last week, he couldn’t walk 5 minutes,” Zorn said. “He was that weak that he wasn’t able to walk for 5 solid minutes, all from vaping. You know, there has to be something done legally to make this stop.”
Solomon’s older brother, Alfred, said he used to vape when he was in high school. He says the number of teens vaping in schools is shocking.
“I just don’t understand how it seeped so deep into the schools, into the youth,” Wynn said. “It’s so bad. I’m just, I’m really at a loss for words for that. It’s so surreal knowing that your brother is gone because of that.”
Solomon’s former stepsister, Doria, has a degree in health sciences and even took a class which looked at the impact of vaping on the youth population. As she prepares to start school for her Masters, Solomon’s death will be an important moment she plans on sharing with other people.
“It’s going to drive me to continue to succeed and work harder and to continue to do outreach and specifically community outreach within youth populations who need to hear these messages, who aren’t being given factual data to understand the severity and intensity of the issue,” Schmidt said. “That it’s not just a matter of we don’t want you smoking, its a matter of you are putting your life at risk.”
While Solomon will be remembered as a strong, young man who sometimes dreamed of following his father into the military, his former stepmother says that won’t be his only legacy. It will also be one of hope and education, trying to prevent other families from going through the same pain.
Zorn said she will start a campaign called “Solly’s Crusaders” to bring awareness of the dangers of vaping to the area while Solomon’s teammates will honor his memory by wearing wristbands this upcoming football season.
