Introducing Alisha Victorine, Age 37, Richmond VA:

Alisha Victorine, 37-year-old mother and amateur flat track roller derby skater for the Richmond Derby Demons, has been a Richmond, Va., resident for 20 years. Although Alisha used to feel repulsed and powerless growing up around the cigarette smoke of family members, she tried her first cigarette at age 10. By age 11 she was regularly buying her own packs of cigarettes and smoking to be socially accepted among her peers.

At 17, Alisha successfully quit smoking for almost a decade, and remained smoke free while she was raising her daughter. At 28, Alisha started smoking again as she re-entered the social scene from a more reclusive domestic lifestyle. She made multiple quit attempts, but was unsuccessful in quitting for good. Alisha thought she would get a hold of her addiction, but it ended up controlling her. After a long struggle, Alisha was finally able to quit for good this past June after seeking help from smoking cessation resources and nicotine replacement therapy. She has now been smoke free for three months. Alisha joined the American Lung Association’s Quitter in You campaign because she knows how important it is to remain a positive, smoke-free role model for her daughter and other children in her community. As an ex-smoker, she also understands how vital it is to stay fit and healthy and has even found that her athletic performance has improved since quitting. Alisha proudly reports that all the women and three men on her roller derby team have now quit smoking as a result of her positive influence. Alisha wants smokers who are trying to quit to know that “if you are going to quit, make a plan and get help,” and if she can quit, you can too.

To get support for the quitter in you, go to quitterinyou.org or call 1-800-LungUSA.