Ted

Tulsa

Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline

I am a believer.

I started smoking in 1968 when I was in Vietnam. I stopped smoking in 1985 until 1988. I was in a stressful environment, and thought I could smoke just one and put them down. I was wrong and started smoking again. I tried different things to get off nicotine but it didn’t work. I had flashbacks of Vietnam. But on 8/26/16, I was informed I had lung cancer. I threw away my smokes and lighter. After part of my left lung and some malignant lymph nodes were removed, I did chemo for three months and now I’m cancer-free. Yes, the demon is always present, tempting me to smoke “just one.” I am a believer. The only way a person beats the tobacco addiction is by making a commitment to yourself to quit. Something has to become more important to you than tobacco. For me, it is my life. They tried but couldn’t kill me in Vietnam, and I won’t commit suicide!