I'm a 49 years old mother of 6 children and until recently had thought I was in fairly good health. I walked anywhere from 2-5 miles at least a couple times a week sometimes everyday. I'm about 40 pounds overweight which I didn't really think was a big deal even though because of my height I am considered obese. I smoked 3-4 packs a day for over 25 years. I quit smoking in 2002. I quit cold turkey on the day of the Great American Smokeout. It was one of the hardest things I ever did but I knew I had to quit. I quit but it was too late for me. In March of this year I was diagnosed with moderate to severe COPD. I probably will not see my youngest child graduate high school. I am going to have to leave my children forever because I chose to smoke. It is very hard to even sit here and write this but if I can help just one person quit or not start because of my story then it will have been worth it. There is NO cure, there is NO fix, there is NO reversing the damage to my lungs. I am going to die because of cigarettes! I am going to become a smoking statistic.

What I know for sure about quitting smoking is that you have to want to quit. I tried the patches and they didn't work for me but I have known people who quit using them. I have also known people who quit by using the gum, pills, Commit Lozenge and even hypnosis. The point being, don't give up because one "stop smoking product" doesn't work for you. Different products work for different people. You can do it but you have to want to and you have to try. It's very hard but if I can do it then anyone can.

 Thursday November 15th, 2007 is the next Great American Smokeout date. You give up your cigarettes for one day, maybe forever. It's the best thing you can do for yourself and the people you love. Don't end up like me, please, and quit using excuses. I used all of them. I don't want to really quit, I enjoy smoking, My nerves are bad right now, I'm stressed out, I'm depressed, I'll get fat, I'll just smoke one, one more pack, one more day,  blah....blah....blah.... STOP!

You're kidding yourself just like I did for a very long time. That pack of cigarettes is not an excuse for all the ups and downs in life that everyone has regardless of if they smoke or not. No, not everyone that smokes is going to die from it, but some of you out there, right now reading this, are going to and do you really want to gamble knowing that?

REMEMBER THE DATE - Thursday November 15 - The Great American Smokeout

It's only one day but it might just be forever! Isn't it worth at least trying?