I smoked for about ten years. It’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made. Somehow after beginning a career in law enforcement and having to run to emergencies I decided to quit.
My mom smoked for years. She used to smoke in the car and in the house and my sister and I would beg her not to smoke in the car or house.
After growing up in that, I swore I’d never smoke. Between peer pressure and my own stupidity I started smoking at about 15.
After I quit I pleaded with my mom for years to quit. After she had developed a cough that wouldn’t go away, she decided to quit.
She got real sick and the doctors treated her for bronchitis for about six weeks and she didn’t get any better. I got her in the car and took her to the closest big city hospital.
They admitted her and after two days of tests discovered she had small cell cancer, smokers cancer. After a biopsy it was determined to be stage 3 cancer inoperable and terminal.
They decided to treat her with chemotherapy. After twelve chemotherapy treatments, they said the tumor was dead and the cancer was virtually gone.
They followed the chemotherapy with radiation treatments. Which burned her esophagus leaving her virtually unable to eat. After ten radiation treatments to the tumor site in the lung, they decided to do five preemptive radiation treatments to her brain. They said this was because small cell smokers cancer always metastasized to the brain.
These treatments to her brain seriously damaged her remaining quality of life. If she would have known what it would have done she said she’d never have taken it.
I watched my mom suffer immensely and die eleven months after her smoker’s cancer diagnosis.
During her last two weeks of life, in our local hospital. The respiratory therapists would suction the fluid out of her lungs daily. Then they would step out the back door and smoke.
There were five respiratory therapists working at our hospital. Three of them were smokers?
After I watched them suction out that thick fluid from my mom’s lungs, almost jelly like, I asked the guy, “How can you smoke? You see this daily, my mom is dying from this, I’ve only seen it once, how can you witness this and still smoke?” He said, “I know I need to quit”, and kept right on smoking. That is insanity.
I smoked for about ten years. It’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made. Somehow after beginning a career in law enforcement and having to run to emergencies I decided to quit. My mom smoked for years. She used to smoke in the car and in the house and my sister and I would beg her not to smoke in the car or house. After growing up in that, I swore I’d never smoke. Between peer pressure and my own stupidity I started smoking at about 15. After I quit I pleaded with my mom for years to quit. After she had developed a cough that wouldn’t go away, she decided to quit. She got real sick and the doctors treated her for bronchitis for about six weeks and she didn’t get any better. I got her in the car and took her to the closest big city hospital. They admitted her and after two days of tests discovered she had small cell cancer, smokers cancer. After a biopsy it was determined to be stage 3 cancer inoperable and terminal. They decided to treat her with chemotherapy. After twelve chemotherapy treatments, they said the tumor was dead and the cancer was virtually gone. They followed the chemotherapy with radiation treatments. Which burned her esophagus leaving her virtually unable to eat. After ten radiation treatments to the tumor site in the lung, they decided to do five preemptive radiation treatments to her brain. They said this was because small cell smokers cancer always metastasized to the brain. These treatments to her brain seriously damaged her remaining quality of life. If she would have known what it would have done she said she’d never have taken it. I watched my mom suffer immensely and die eleven months after her smoker’s cancer diagnosis. During her last two weeks of life, in our local hospital. The respiratory therapists would suction the fluid out of her lungs daily. Then they would step out the back door and smoke. There were five respiratory therapists working at our hospital. Three of them were smokers? After I watched them suction out that thick fluid from my mom’s lungs, almost jelly like, I asked the guy, “How can you smoke? You see this daily, my mom is dying from this, I’ve only seen it once, how can you witness this and still smoke?” He said, “I know I need to quit”, and kept right on smoking. That is insanity.
