On Nov. 15, the American Cancer Society will sponsor its 37th call to action to encourage people to quit tobacco during the Great American Smokeout. The ACS provides tools and tips to help tobacco users create a plan to quit smoking with its "Guide to Quitting Smoking." Will you or a loved one be taking part in the event?
I, myself never smoked, well not never. I decided it might look cool for a couple weeks in college and right then and there determined it made me more sick than anything. My dad on the other hand smoked for years and unfortunately he died of bronchogenic cancer which is actually the tubes that lead into the lung. My brother also smoked but not as long as my dad did and so far no reprocussions. My sister never smoked and to the best of my knowledge my kids have never smoked unless the did as I had and tried it for a brief while. I know that having a smoker in the house helps to promote others to smoke and also makes it more difficult to quit if there are others that smoke in your home. It is easy for me to sit here and just say, QUIT. I have not ever faced that dilemma but in my heart I hope and pray that you will quit. I have been away from smoking and cigarettes for so long that I am one of those that will move if someone is smoking near me. I can tell if someone has smoked in a hotel room I am in, I can tell if you have smoked in your car and I can smell it in your hair and clothes if you do smoke. The irony of it all, is although we don't allow smoking on our campus, there are those that will go out between treatment and smoke. Now this is nothing new as I have been a nurse for a long time and I have many memories where you could actually smoke in your own hospital room and then that was taken away and you had to smoke outside and you could see patients with their IV poles outside smoking. I even recall a patient that just finished a breathing treatment and went out and had a cigarette. Now you may say, what does this have to do with breast cancer? The answer it has something to do with all cancers and for yourself you can protect yourself from second and third hand smoke and encourage your loved ones that try to quit to help them in the process. For those of you that smoke, here comes the Great American Smokeout once again and I hope that this year you will be on board and will really make the effort. I wish you all the best and I w