My dear daughter,
A friend of mine asked me to read an email he was sending to his daughter as he battled for his life in a hospital bed. I told him I would like to share his thoughts with my own daughter since I found the mail quite instructive.
“Adaobi my dear,
I was about your age when I had my first cigarette. Most of my friends at school were smoking, and I thought it was cool to join them. It also made me feel grown up.
I hated the taste of my first cigarette but I couldn’t let on to my friends so as not to lose face with them.
And so began my journey to cigarette addiction: I gradually got used to the taste, and spent most of my pocket money buying packs of cigarettes.
My parents didn’t know I smoked for a long time till my dad caught me at a friend’s house. He showed up much earlier than planned to pick me up from a party. He was really upset and gave me a good “talking to” on how I was too young to be smoking and how I was risking my health.
As I lie here in this hospital bed, I wish I had heeded his advice to stop. I just never thought I could come to any harm from smoking.
As the years passed by, I moved from smoking a few sticks a day to a whole packet of cigarettes. I was young and felt invincible -nothing could hurt me. Boy, was I very wrong!
About two years ago, I started having problems with my breathing.
It was not long after that I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I will never forget the moment the specialist told me how gravely ill I was. The long years of smoking had taken their toll.
I honesty wish I have never lit a cigarette in my life let alone smoke one; and since my battle with ill health, I have taken the trouble to learn more about the health risks of cigarettes and thought to share some with you:
Smoking: The Risks
- The risk of having a heart attack can be up to three times greater for smokers than for non-smokers.
- Smoking causes 30 per cent of all cancer deaths. Less than 10 per cent of lung cancer patients survive five years after diagnosis.
- Women who smoke and take the Pill have 10 times more risk of a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular disease than those who take the Pill and do not smoke.
- Smoking is responsible for 25 per cent of all heart disease deaths.
- Smoking has been linked to the increased likelihood of menstrual problems.
- Smoking leads to earlier menopause.
- During pregnancy, smoking increases the risk of spontaneous abortion and premature birth. After birth, it increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (cot death).
- Smoking can affect your senses of taste and smell.
- Smokers are more likely to develop facial wrinkles early and have poor dental hygiene.
- Smoking has been linked to impotence and increased sperm abnormalities.
- Smoking causes 83 per cent of deaths from bronchitis and emphysema.
- Smoking can lead disease of the arteries resulting in amputations due to flesh-rotting gangrene.
So my dear daughter, smoking isn’t cool; it is just darn dangerous.
Love you sweetheart.
Dad.”