Jodie's perspective

Jodie has a tough story to share, and it reminds us that when you smoke, it's not just you. Your loved ones are often affected as well.

I am writing as a daughter who has just lost her father to lung cancer

Unfortunately, my father is not the first person I have lost to lung cancer. My grandfather and three of my father's brothers have also succumbed to this terrible disease, with another uncle gravely ill with lung cancer also.

My father was your classic in-denial smoker, believing it would never happen to him, however once he began coughing up blood he stopped smoking cold turkey and never touched another cigarette. He even encouraged others not to smoke, something that I never believed would happen. Being as I am not a smoker, I find it impossible to understand what the attraction is for people who do smoke. I just wanted to share my story with you.