Tobacco's Faceless Victims

God forbid, what if you should develop a smoking related disease that becomes terminal? Would it cross your mind in those dark moments of deep despair that other struggling smokers might benefit greatly from your thoughts, your unique insights, your parting concerns and, yes, even your death? WhyQuit doesn't celebrate Bryan Lee Curtis' smoking life, but we can't help but admire his genuine concern for other humans as he looked death squarely in the face. We never heard his words, but we were told that he wanted us to know what tobacco had done to his life. Why only Bryan and Sean? Where are tobacco's other victims?

For all intents and purposes death from smoking remains totally faceless. Why should teenagers be concerned about the health risks of smoking when this year alone almost two million middle-aged smokers will decide to die very privately and very very quietly? "Death with dignity," you say? Where is the dignity in allowing one of the most purposeful messages in your life, to go undelivered? Where is the dignity in not identifying your murderer in hopes that our children or other smokers might avoid a similar fate?

We've searched the internet long and hard but we have not been able to locate the words of even ONE dying smoker, warning others about a fate that might someday claim their lives. We're told that over fifty million smokers are scheduled to die of smoking related diseases this decade. To our youth, these statistics are just meaningless numbers.

Both condom use and sexual abstinence rates among youth increased dramatically after our teenagers viewed countless news stories showing thin and frail dying aids victims in hospital rooms across America. The evening news has bombarded our teens with automobile accident stories showing seriously injured and deceased victims being carried away in ambulances. So why show AIDS and ACCIDENT victims but not SMOKING victims? Instead, each Sunday we show our teens colorful auto races where tobacco is glorified on the uniforms and race cars of the world's most skilled drivers.

Whether here or elsewhere, tobacco's true story must be told. It isn't easy reminding terminally ill tobacco victims or those living with serious damage that there is still time to fight back. It's only an opportunity but like organ donation, unless mentioned and used it's an opportunity lost.

It's ironic but once a smoker learns that they have cancer, almost all of them fight with all their strength to beat it and stay alive. What that should tell us is that smokers don't yet appreciate how dangerous smoking really is. Isn't it time that we told them the truth!

Each year WhyQuit receives hundreds of thousands of visitors, each seeking to fuel their determination, spirit and mind. If you have a story to share, please drop us a line at:

john@whyquit.com

John R. Polito