PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla./EWORLDWIRE/Sep. 4, 2006 --- This National Grandparents’ Day, September 10, Smoke Free Society brings awareness that it's never too late to quit smoking and though people may have smoked for years, the benefits they will enjoy when they quit will begin within 20 minutes of their last cigarette, and will continue for years to come. Life is too short and no one deserves to live a miserable last few years dying a slow death.“My mother survived lung cancer, but she couldn’t outlast Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Any smoker who is not afraid of cancer should spend a few hours with someone with advanced COPD to see what it does, not only to the person with COPD but to their family as well. The cost of care and the emotional toll on family members can be astronomical,” said Christina O’Neill, managing editor, Worcester Business Journal, Worcester, MA.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD, is a progressive impairment of lung function, and it’s the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. This disease has been the diagnosis for 10 million people, BUT an estimated 14 million people in the U.S. may have it and have not yet been diagnosed. The two most common forms of COPD are emphysema (the actual loss of lung tissue) and chronic bronchitis (the shrinking of the lung passages). The more severe COPD is, the more at risk the person is for problems such as heart failure and the more likely their overall quality of life will be impaired. Smoking causes nearly 90 percent of COPD cases.
“It was heartbreaking to watch mom, a former language teacher, losing her innate talent to relate to people," she added. "Her grandchildren never knew mom as the vivacious, energetic person she had once been.” To read more of O'Neill's moving story, please visit http://www.smokefreesociety.org/NewsClip/COPD-story.asp.
Smoke Free Society offers its top five ways how grandparents can help their children and grandchildren not to smoke or use tobacco:
1. Lead by example – Smokers should quit and encourage children and grandchildren to do the same.
2. Talk to them about the hazards of smoking and why they shouldn’t smoke.
3. Explain the costs of smoking to them and their family – money they are throwing away.
4. Encourage them to be an advocate of nonsmoking.
5. Talk to them about the myths of smoking and how advertising is an illusion just to get them hooked.
Smoke Free Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information and techniques to help smokers quit smoking, educating children not to start and promoting a healthy, tobacco-free lifestyle. The organization offers a free online download of its “Proven Stop Smoking Technique” to help smokers quit. Individuals should go to www.SmokeFreeSociety.org for the download, free eCards and other lifesaving information.
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