For all of you smokers - please read this!

On Sunday, Jan. 20th, my husband Jim was 3 years "clean" of his smoking habit! I am so very proud of him.....SO, every anniversary, I feel compelled to share his journey in the hopes that SOMEONE else will be inspired to quit, too!On January 20th, 2005 our daughter was in Children's hospital after complications from her Autoummune Hemolytic Anemia. She had been in the ICU, recieved a blood transfusion, was on multiple meds. and drips....it was a scary time for all of us! On that morning, her hemotologist had informed us that we should be prepared to stay for AWHILE as the steroids they were treating her with for the anemia were killing her immune system and she needed close monitoring. Having been in the hospital for 5 days before hand, we had somethings with us but not enough for a lengthly, pretty much room-bound stay. So, Jim went back to our apartment to get her then brand new Dora house to play with and some things for us. While hastily packing and getting everything ready to trek back to CHildren's Hos. - he "twisted" funny and felt a "pull". Ignoring it in a hurry to return to Ash and I, he loaded up the car and headed back. As he was driving her began to fell this "pull" in his upper pectoral area spred and get worse - much worse. He opened the window and lit a cigarette to try and distract himself from the increasing pain - and difficulty breathing! Thinking he had just oiver exerted a bit - he continued the 25 minute drive to Children's in increasing pain and with barely enough oxygen to fully inhale. It's a miracle he got there!!!!! When he got back up to the room - he had no suitcases with him - he said he had had to leave them downstairs as he couldn't carry them and could barely breathe. Not knowing what had transpired at home, I thought he was just out of breath and went to go retrieve our stuff - in the mean time - the nurse taking care of Ashley had seen him and called a "Respiratory STAT"! He could barely breathe! The doctors and nurses escorted him to the ER w/me and Sister Brenda (a lovely woman!) close by....another nurse stayed w/Ashley until my mom got there. Down in the ER of CHildren's they thought they were treating a heart attack and stabilized him. But, he was still in extreme pain so, after I asked them to call my mother in law, they ambulanced him to Buff. General (where we works) - I had to stay w/Ashley..I was so scared and shaken and crying uncontrollably - I thought I would never see my husband again. Many hours later, my mother in law (and father in law were with my husband) called me to tell me that he did not have a heart attack - PHEW! - he had a pneumothorax -a collapsed lung and would need emergency surgery the next day!!!!!!!!! I damn near collapsed! I spent the night with the phone in my hand, curled up on my cot at Children's with Ash (she couldn't be alone) draped in Jim's coat sobbing! I got to see him the next day before his surgery (and before getting abck to Ash because, again SHE was also being treated and needed a parent there!) and we said our I Love You's...and our Goodbyes.....Then my mother in law took me back to Children's and I honestly don't know how I made it - thank Goddess for her strength! Anyway, to wrap this up - during the pre-op work up they discovered that my husband's pneumo. was due to something called Bleb disease -the early stage of emphazeyma - From 12 years of smoking! He also had this disease in the other lung so from Jan. 21 - March 18th my husband had both lungs operated on. He was warned to quit smoking or develop emphazeyma, COPD, lung cancer and die before he hit 40! So - he quit w/the aide of Zyban. It was hard, it was physically painful, he had anxiety issues, he had sweats,he had headaches, he had shakes he vomited but - it subsided and HE QUIT! And has never gone back! He chose life over death! But - the story doesn't end there........he is left w/ 6 inch scars from the surgeries and chest tubes, he has to take many pain pills just to function and will always live with chronic neuropathic pain! He is also on an antideppresent because of it all. So, you see, he is STILL affected - 3 years later!I hope that by sharing this just one of you forwards this to a friend who smokes or, if you smoke, are compelled to quit! It's not easy - it's hard work! But, my husband would have done that work if given the choice between what he went through and quitting beforehand....Please, please, please - quit smoking! Chose to live, chose health for your body, chose to NOT put yourself and loved ones in the position we were in 3 years ago. Many Blessings to you for Love and HEALTH! Thanks for reading this..... Myspace Graphics