Grandma's Lung Cancer
I met up with a long time friend of mine, D, recently. I havent seen him for like 15 years, and, my oh my, he's changed so much. The most apparent change i saw is that he's stopped chain smoking. I asked about all the people we knew, especially his dear grandma, whom i'm very fond of. She'd make me my favourite laksa everytime i drop by their house for a visit. I can still remember all those small details about that old lady.
D told me his grandma passed away last year due to a long and painful battle with lung cancer. She was a chronic chain smoker. The type that has a cigarette hanging from her lips from the moment she wakes up till bedtime. I've even seen her fall asleep with a ciggie still between her lips sometimes. All those wrinkles around her eyes are caused by constant squinting when smoke gets in her eyes. I think the only moment i see her without a cigarette is when she's eating. Even then, the cigarette is between her fingers. That's how chronic her smoking habit was.
She was 82 when she died. Her battle with the dreaded disease started about 10 years prior to her death. Imagine 10 whole years of painful suffering. I asked D whether was he at her bedside when she died, and he told me , yes. All her children (those still alive), and grand children were there, by her bedside; to witness her death. She's an Iron Lady, very fierce and strict. And D was her favourite; the only male descendant of the entire Ong clan.
I enquired if his grandma's death had anything to do with him giving up his habit. He said yes. Grandma wanted all of them to see for the last time how painful it was to die of lung cancer due to smoking and she wanted everyone who smoked to stop. I guess they all got the message. Though Grandma had constantly nagged D to stop when she knew she's dying of it, that spoilt brat never did give a shit. And continued with his 3-pack-a-day habit.
He told me that that was his promise to his grandma, at her death bed. And he's kept his word till today. He told me how he saw his Grandma suffered and he doesnt want that to happen to him, no way is he going to put his family through what he went through. He's not going to let them see him die like that. She was coughing non-stop, wheezing for breath, day and night, blood and all. Tells me he can still hear those racking cough ringing in his ears till today; can never seem to get rid of it. Maybe that's his Grandma's way of constantly reminding him to stop and to never pick up that cigarette ever again. And he never did.
The last straw came when he was at the hospital to collect the autopsy report and the coroner there showed him some pictures. He broke down and cried. Pictures of her lungs. Laden with tar. A total write-off. That explains the racking cough and wheezing. Like the advertisement we see on TV during the Anti-smoking campaign. Only for real this time; her lungs were all black, hardened and shrunken. Those pictures convinced him forever never to smoke again.
I wish my hubby was there with me that day. Maybe that'll convince him to stop smoking for good. I'm still waiting for that day to come.
And i hope those of you who smoke that reading this story will somehow convince you to stop smoking too. I did it cold-turkey. So can you.
Do drop your comments on ways you can help your friend or family members stop smoking. Share your thoughts on how we can break this bad habit. We have nothing to gain from smoking. Only those big bad boys out there gain. And it's our hard earned money.
D told me his grandma passed away last year due to a long and painful battle with lung cancer. She was a chronic chain smoker. The type that has a cigarette hanging from her lips from the moment she wakes up till bedtime. I've even seen her fall asleep with a ciggie still between her lips sometimes. All those wrinkles around her eyes are caused by constant squinting when smoke gets in her eyes. I think the only moment i see her without a cigarette is when she's eating. Even then, the cigarette is between her fingers. That's how chronic her smoking habit was.
She was 82 when she died. Her battle with the dreaded disease started about 10 years prior to her death. Imagine 10 whole years of painful suffering. I asked D whether was he at her bedside when she died, and he told me , yes. All her children (those still alive), and grand children were there, by her bedside; to witness her death. She's an Iron Lady, very fierce and strict. And D was her favourite; the only male descendant of the entire Ong clan.
I enquired if his grandma's death had anything to do with him giving up his habit. He said yes. Grandma wanted all of them to see for the last time how painful it was to die of lung cancer due to smoking and she wanted everyone who smoked to stop. I guess they all got the message. Though Grandma had constantly nagged D to stop when she knew she's dying of it, that spoilt brat never did give a shit. And continued with his 3-pack-a-day habit.
He told me that that was his promise to his grandma, at her death bed. And he's kept his word till today. He told me how he saw his Grandma suffered and he doesnt want that to happen to him, no way is he going to put his family through what he went through. He's not going to let them see him die like that. She was coughing non-stop, wheezing for breath, day and night, blood and all. Tells me he can still hear those racking cough ringing in his ears till today; can never seem to get rid of it. Maybe that's his Grandma's way of constantly reminding him to stop and to never pick up that cigarette ever again. And he never did.
The last straw came when he was at the hospital to collect the autopsy report and the coroner there showed him some pictures. He broke down and cried. Pictures of her lungs. Laden with tar. A total write-off. That explains the racking cough and wheezing. Like the advertisement we see on TV during the Anti-smoking campaign. Only for real this time; her lungs were all black, hardened and shrunken. Those pictures convinced him forever never to smoke again.
I wish my hubby was there with me that day. Maybe that'll convince him to stop smoking for good. I'm still waiting for that day to come.
And i hope those of you who smoke that reading this story will somehow convince you to stop smoking too. I did it cold-turkey. So can you.
Do drop your comments on ways you can help your friend or family members stop smoking. Share your thoughts on how we can break this bad habit. We have nothing to gain from smoking. Only those big bad boys out there gain. And it's our hard earned money.
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