On Smoking and Death [Compatibility Mode]

Okay, folks. This is a great story from Dr. Mary Ugalahi, She writes on Facebook and is well worth following for great health stories that make a lotta sense. Find her and follow her. I am!

The story

Nathan sat up in bed startled and disoriented. He was still very scared of the dream he just had. He ran his hand across his face, thankful it was a dream. God forbid that such a thing should happen to him. His mother will not hesitate to say “I told you so”, even in her pain.  She has almost given up on him. She said so two days ago. This may be God revealing things to him, he thought.

He got down on his knees and prayed for the first time, in two or is it three years? He had lost count. ‘’Father, I thank you for sparing my life, help me to stop this habit that has the potential to harm my health’’. He rose from his knees, got dressed and went to his mother who was already in the sitting room.

‘’Mom, I am ready for rehabilitation to stop smoking’’, he said. The expression on her face broke his heart.  He knows his mom loves him dearly. Since his dad passed on five years ago, she had raised him and his sister alone. At 22 years of age, he felt bad causing her so much grief.

‘’I am sorry mom’’, he apologized again.

‘’I am ready to quit smoking tobacco’’.

He started smoking before his dad died. This year makes it 7 years since he has been smoking. He smoked tobacco in all forms. It started with sharing sticks of cigarettes with friends, then buying sticks of cigarettes and then buying packs. He started inhaling Hookah when it was not cool to only just smoke cigarettes at the club. Everyone young and hype was doing it.

He would have been the odd one out. His mother scolded, counseled, threatened and pleaded with him to quit but he never listened to her. The dream last night was enough to push him towards quitting.

Last night he dreamt he had a cough which defied all cough syrups and antibiotics.  When he started coughing out bloody sputum, he and his mom went to the hospital. The doctor examined him, did some tests and then told him he had lung cancer. He may not survive was the verdict. It was at that point he woke up, afraid.

Thank God it was a dream, but he must do something to prevent it from becoming his reality. He will quit tobacco as of today. He knows he needs help and mom is here to help him.

The fact

Smoking tobacco affects almost all the organs in the body. It can lead to lung cancers, oral cancers, and stomach and throat cancers. Cigarette smoking also places the user at risk of stroke, heart failure, and cataracts. It also worsens some systemic and eye conditions like dry eyes (smoke gets into your eyes). Guess that’s why the eyes of smokers are often red hot. Cigarette smoking can also cause infertility in men and women. It causes premature death in smokers.

Before you light up that first stick or inhale that first smoke, think of the difficulty with quitting. An important point is that the earlier the onset of tobacco uses the worse the addiction! The worse the addiction, the more difficult it is to quit! So, it’s better not to even start.

That is not all, but let us stop with the bad news!

The good news

Seek help today if you desire to quit. Quitting is one of the best gifts you can give yourself this decade!

NB: Fireside Chats with Dr. Mary #25

 

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