To All My Freedom Family,
Today, I am writing to share a very painful time in my life with you. I guess you can say I am doing this as much for myself as I am for all of you . Most of you that know me, know I love to celebrate with my dancing bear and to welcome every new comer . There's a reason, I spend so much time here. It's because the consequences of smoking have touched my life so deeply and painfully over the last several years...
Three years ago in April, my husband , Mike, had a lung removed due to cancer. He had non-small cell cancer, as a result of 38 years of heavy smoking. Over these last 3 years he had been doing well until just in recent months. He had begun to experience some symptoms that were beginning to be all too familiar. We now know that he has a recurrence of his cancer. This time it is on the stump where the lung was removed before. This is a new diagnosis of only a couple days and we have a lot to go through before we know if that is the only cancer he has and to learn the staging and course of treatment. To briefly skim over these details with you doesn't begin to tell you the pain in the hearts of family and friends, as we witness the suffering of someone so dear.
I just want to say that I may not be here very often in the coming days, but I can assure you that I won't be smoking. (It wouldn't help my emphysema either). I do want all the newbies on the board to know that I am so proud of you for making this decision to quit and to congratulate everyone that has been celebrating milestones. I'll post when I can and I'll be checking in on you. I hope in some small way, this letter will make you think before you smoke another cigarette. Smoking has consequences and they hurt in ways you may have never imagined. My husband wants me to share this with you. To all of you... Quit for Life!
Love to all of my Freedom family,
sue
Nine months, three weeks, four days, 20 hours, 58 minutes and 40 seconds. 12034 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,739.05. Life
saved: 5 weeks, 6 days, 18 hours, 50 minutes.
Laurie
