To mark No Smoking Day, a Cheshire grandmother who was hospitalised with dangerously low oxygen levels has shared her story of quitting smoking.
Cathy Wareing, 63, from Middlewich, started smoking when she was just 12-years-old after moving to a new school far from the village she grew up in. Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, she found comfort in the habit.
For more than 50 years, Cathy rolled her own cigarettes, going through a 50g pouch each week. Smoking took a serious toll on her health, leading to two hospital admissions with breathing difficulties and affecting her mobility.
‘Every time I had a cold, I ended up in hospital,’ she said. ‘The doctors were worried about me and I had to have oxygen just to breathe properly. It was very scary and it made me think I wouldn’t be able to be with my family for much longer.’
With support from local stop-smoking services, Cathy became one of around 8,200 people in Cheshire and Merseyside to successfully quit over the past year.
Research from University College London’s Smoking Toolkit Study shows 33.9% of smokers in the North West attempted to quit last year , with 38.1% succeeding – equating to around 27,000 people locally.
‘One of the things that made me hesitant about quitting was the fear of gaining weight. I’d worked hard to lose five stone and didn’t want to undo that progress,’ Cathy explained. ‘In the end though, my health had to come first and as it turned out, I didn’t put any weight on at all.’
She continued: ‘I didn’t want to try vaping at all, but I gave it a chance, and I haven’t looked back. I’m three months smokefree now and I feel so much better. It’s been lifechanging.’
Today (11th March) represents No Smoking Day, an event founded in 1984 to encourage people to ditch the habit. This year’s event coincides with the government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill approaching its final stage in the House of Lords.
If passed, the legislation will make it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1st January 2009.
Dr Sarah McNulty, lead director of public health for Cheshire and Merseyside’s All Together Smokefree programme, said: ‘Cathy’s story is a powerful reminder of the devastating impact smoking can have, not just on individuals, but on entire families.
‘No Smoking Day is the perfect opportunity for people to take that first step towards quitting. We know that people are far more likely to succeed with the right support, and local stop smoking services offer free, expert help that can make all the difference.’
Professor Ian Ashworth, director of population health for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, added: ‘The Tobacco and Vapes Bill gives us a real chance to change the future, so that today’s children grow up in a world where becoming a smoker simply isn’t the norm.’
Image: Andres Simon/UnSplash
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