30th Annual Great American Smokeout

Today is the American Cancer Society’s 30th Great American Smokeout. It is suggested that smokers use this day to quit smoking, if only for the day.

Smoking remains the most preventable cause of death in our society.

The Great American Smokeout is a day for smokers nationwide to unite and kick the deadly habit of smoking for a lifetime by starting with just one day.

The single most important thing a person can do to improve his or her long-term health and well-being is to quit smoking, and the American Cancer Society can help.

If you’re serious about quitting or helping someone else quit, the Society’s many resources are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help. Call 1-800-ACS-2345 or log on to www.cancer.org (link on the left).

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U. S. for both men and women, accounting for nearly one third of all cancer deaths.

2,160 people in Minnesota will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 2,430 will die.

Smoking is by far the leading risk factor for lung cancer, accounting for 87 percent of lung cancer deaths.

Each year, 3,000 nonsmoking adults die of lung cancer as a result of breathing secondhand smoke.

The American Cancer Society is committed to decreasing lung cancer incidence and mortality rates by focusing on five major goals:

--Prevent youth from starting to smoke
--Encourage adults and youth to quit smoking
--Improve access to smoking cessation treatment and services
--Eliminate nonsmoker’s exposure to cigarette smoke
--Eliminate disparities in tobacco use and its effects

Since the first Great American Smokeout in 1976, more than 2,200 communities and 18 states from all regions of the country-urban and rural – have granted citizens the right to breathe smoke-free air. “Although we’ve come a long way in the past 30 years, much work remains to be done because thousands of people in Minnesota remain exposed to secondhand smoke”, said Maribeth Swenty, Vice President for the American Cancer Society in Minnesota.

30 years ago cigarette smoking was the norm. Today, cigarette smoking has increasingly become the exception.

This post is in loving memory of my brother Jerry, who lost his struggle to lung cancer at age 52. Jerry was a smoker for years, the addiction was so strong for him, that it was hard for him to quit even while he was going through chemo-therapy. Jerry, we miss you and hold you in our hearts.