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Shawn W. was 14 and trying to make friends at a new school when he started taking cigarettes from his father. He became addicted and smoked both regular and menthol cigarettes for the next 30 years — and only later learned how much each one had cost his body. His story is part of CDC's Tips From Former Smokers campaign.
Throat cancer
In his mid-40s, a chronic cough and laryngitis turned out to be throat cancer. Shawn went through 38 radiation treatments and many hours in doctors' offices. He struggled to quit even after the diagnosis; it was only when his voice box had to be removed that he stopped, realizing that it was quit or die. Doctors could not save his larynx.
Shawn now breathes through a stoma, a permanent opening in his throat, and speaks using a laryngeal implant. For someone who loved to sing and play the guitar, losing his natural voice was heartbreaking. Treatment and recovery took three years, and the implant has to be changed every 90 days — an unpleasant routine for the rest of his life.
His message
Shawn, who was 50 when he told his story, shared it in the hope of helping others quit. He describes the road he has traveled as a hard one that he would not wish on anyone, because it affects the rest of your life. Smoking, he says, is a choice — and he invites people who smoke to look at him and ask whether that is the choice they want to make. In a campaign TV ad, he appeared with two other former smokers who have stomas, sharing tips for living with one.
Help to quit
Free help is available by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), or by texting QUITNOW to 333888.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tips From Former Smokers, "Shawn W.'s Story": https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/stories/shawn.html
- Shawn's own words are paraphrased here; the campaign's photographs and ads are not reproduced.
- Words on this page from people and organisations outside the federal government are paraphrased; rewritten in hubnx's own words.
Licence : CC0 1.0 (domaine public) · Adapté de www.cdc.gov
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