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Don't
Just Quit Smoking, Take the Next Step
Don’t Just Quit Smoking,
Take the Next Step (ARA) – Sharon O’Hara, 66, of
Silverdale, Wash., was just 17 when she picked up her first
cigarette. “Like a lot of people who started smoking back
then, I did it because it was the cool, chic thing to do,” she
says. Humphrey Bogart and Lana Turner did it. So did a lot of
people’s parents, teachers, neighbors and even doctors.
According to statistics gathered by the National Institutes of
Health, in 1955, by the time O’Hara picked up the habit, 56
percent of American men and 28 percent of American women were
smoking. “Obviously the numbers were so high because no one
knew one day there would be serious health ramifications,”
says O’Hara, who today is on a mission to get the word out
about the dangers of smoking. “My bad habit nearly killed me.”
In 1997, shortly after returning home from a trip to Norway,
she became so short of breath she was unable to stand and had
to crawl across the floor to get the food to feed her dogs.
Her son rushed her to the hospital. “I decided during that
four-day period in the hospital, I would never pick up a
cigarette again. And I haven’t,” she says. O’Hara had been
diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) --
a term referring to a broad group of lung diseases that leave
people hungry for air -- a couple of years prior to that
episode. Her doctor had advised her to quit smoking, “But I
was addicted and just wouldn’t listen,” she says. It wasn’t
until the day she collapsed gasping for air that the light
bulb finally turned on.
Leading Killer
Her affliction, COPD, is the fourth leading cause of death in
the United States, claiming the lives of 120,000 people a year
in the U.S. It is estimated that currently 10.7 million people
have been diagnosed with COPD. However, up to 24 million
Americans have evidence of impaired lung function, indicating
under-diagnosis of this disease. COPD is a preventable and
treatable disease. “Many people choose to ignore their
symptoms and thus are not reflected in the statistics,” says
Dr. Norman Edelman, the American Lung Association’s chief
medical officer.
Source for Help
To help raise awareness about the disease, the American Lung Association
has teamed up with ALTANA Pharma US to launch a nationwide
educational campaign beginning on Nov. 1, 2005, and running
through Dec. 31, 2005, called "Hungry For Air: Breathing
Better Together." Through the Web site
www.lungusa.org , people
can easily download free information about the disease and
explore inspirational stories about survivors and caregivers.
The free download will be updated periodically throughout
November and December. Sharon O’Hara’s story is among those
featured on the site. “Probably the only reason I coped so
well as a smoker and ignored my failing ability to breathe was
because I was physically fit,” she says. Despite suffering
occasional bouts with shortness of breath, O’Hara climbed
mountains, rode horses and spent all of her spare time working
hard to restore a neglected estate she and her husband had
bought for their retirement. But as her condition
deteriorated, she reached the point where she couldn’t even
lift a shovel and knew things needed to change. “We sold the
estate and moved closer to town,” she says. Shortly after
moving, while surfing on the Internet, O’Hara came across two
Web sites she says turned her life around. “Finding EFFORTS (a
COPD support group) and the American Lung Association of
Washington online changed my life,” she says. “I learned that
COPD is not a death sentence. It’s an opportunity, a challenge
to regain quality of life. The more fit we become, the better
we can breathe.” O’Hara now exercises every day, and she’s
currently training for a cross country bike ride sponsored by
the American Lung Association to raise awareness about the
disease. She also speaks at seminars aimed at COPD survivors
and their families. “People should not have to go through what
I've gone through. If I knew then what I know now about the
dangers of smoking, I never would have started,” says O’Hara.
Are You a Candidate?
“The first step is to be diagnosed,” points out Dr. Edelman.
He recommends that anyone who has ever smoked get a spirometry
(lung function) test. COPD can also be hereditary, or occur
due to occupational hazards and pollution. If you answer yes
to any of these questions, Dr. Edelman recommends you, too,
see a doctor. * Do you frequently experience a deep, chronic
cough? * When completing routine activities, such as climbing
a flight of stairs, are you short of breath? * Do you live in
a heavy smog/high-ozone area? * Are you exposed to air
pollution at work? * In cold weather, does your chest get
tight or do you find it difficult to breathe? For access to
support tools for people who want to quit smoking, or to read
inspiration stories about COPD survivors, log on to
www.lungusa.org
beginning on Nov. 1, 2005, and click on the “Hungry For Air”
logo. Courtesy of ARA Content EDITOR’S NOTE: The free download
will be available from Nov. 1, 2005, to Dec. 31, 2005. Don’t
Just Quit Smoking, Take the Next Step |