73-year-old Tina decided to quit smoking after being discharged from hospital following vascular surgery. With the help of Stop Smoking Advisor Cath, Tina is now 10 weeks smoke free and is even encouraging her daughter to stop smoking using a vape.
Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease because it damages your heart and blood vessels. When you stop smoking you allow your body to repair itself, reducing your risk of heart attack or stroke. Within only 8 hours of stopping smoking your oxygen levels return to normal. After 2 days the debris caused by smoking begins to clear from your lungs so that, after 3 days, breathing becomes easier.
“I was very ill, when I woke up from my operation I told my son ‘I will never smoke again’ and I haven’t. I’m so proud of myself and so is my family. My son said, ‘you can do this Mom’ and I have.”
Tina loves her new self. She has found that she is breathing better and is delighted with her smoke free status – so much so that she’s spreading the message far and wide! In a queue recently, she struck up a conversation with the man in front of her which resulted in her encouraging him to quit smoking. A week later she bumped into the same man who told her he was using patches to quit.
Is today the day?
This year, No Smoking Day is on 13 March. Will it be the day you decide to quit? If you’re ready to stop smoking, you don’t have to do it alone. Telford & Wrekin’s Healthy Lifestyles Advisors can help you make the change in your life that you’ve always wanted to make, whether that is quitting smoking, losing weight or getting more active.