Introducing Peder Pedersen, Age 67, Charles City Virginia:

I started smoking at age 13. That was 55 years ago. My father was a pack a day smoker. Back in those days doctors were used in commercials to advertise how cool and enjoyable smoking could be, leaving out the fact that it was physically and mentally habit forming. I gradually increased to almost 2 packs a day. I tried quiting 4 or 5 times, none of which lasted more than 1 to 3 days. I enjoyed smoking although the consequences started to make themselves felt. I always reasoned that if I really had to quit, I could do it, even though my sinuses where clogging up and I coughed throughout the day. Well, during an annual physical I asked my doctor what I should do because I knew the smoking habit was affecting me. He said that his father had just died of lung cancer and he suggested that I take spirometry test to see how the smoking had affected my lung capacity. The results shook me to the core. He showed me that my lungs were that of a 90 year old. The damage had been done and the only thing I could do was to clear out my lungs and let them heal. I quit cold turkey that day and every time I got an urge, I would say to myself that I didn’t need a smoke and that I had a life to live independent of cigarettes. I quit killing myself. I think all doctors should give their patients a wake-up call by suggesting such a test. That was almost 5 years ago and being around smokers doesn’t bother me a bit anymore. A picture is worth a thousand words.