Dorothy Symonds
As a 14 year old girl I decided to follow the cool group, the kids everyone admired and wanted to be around.
The cool group were all smokers, so to fit in I decided I would smoke to. Looking back now they really weren’t that cool after all.
This is the one regret I have in my life.
I am going back 40 years here and as a young girl education about the dangers of smoking did not exist. You could smoke anywhere, on a plane, at the doctors, supermarket, pubs and clubs and in all workplaces. Everybody smoked it was just the way it was an was very acceptable.
I never thought about quitting, smoking was my crutch, every time I had a problem or issue I’d reach for a ciggy, this habit I have carried for forty years. Only now have I decided to give away the demon cigarettes.
What has prompted my decision was I got sick, my chest was congested, I got a nasty cough and then the most terrifying thing happened, I started coughing up blood not just a little but a lot of blood.
The day this happened my husband raced me to the emergency department at the local hospital, by this point it was worse. I was rushed straight in and had blood taken, an ECG, X-ray and a CT scan. All my tests have come back clear and no cancer detected however I have one more test to come, a camera into my lungs to confirm the diagnosis, fingers crossed.
When this all began I was terrified thinking this is it I’m going to die, I have lung cancer my life is over.
Typical me I always think the worst case scenario. Although I am not out of the woods yet I am focusing on a positive outcome.
The thing is, I said I wish I knew then what I know now about the dangers of smoking, in reality i have known for a lot of years now. Many of my friends have successfully quit but I ignored the warnings, thinking nothing bad will happen to me, how wrong and stupid was I, I’m no different to anyone else so why not happen to me.
My biggest challenge now is to make smoking history, goodbye to a life long habit and hello to healthy lungs.
The money I will save on smoking approximately $9,000 Aussie dollars will go on a cruise with my husband that day will be a true celebration.
So if you are a smoker seriously think about giving up don’t wait for something terrible to happen, don’t put your loved ones through the stress and worry I have put mine through. Think of the money you will save, you too could go on an amazing cruise.
I’m not going to lecture anyone you will know when you are ready and to all of you who have never smoked well done I totally admire you.
All you need to do is focus on today don’t worry about tomorrow just worry about today.
Life after fifty 