NQR - Quit Smoking

[SandraG]

Have you thought about quitting? Here is a great incentive. My brother is dying from lung cancer directly related to smoking. He already has advanced heart disease and now has a very rare type of lung cancer. He is 6' tall and weighs 122 lbs. He is 50 years old, 15 months my senior. His choices were to try the chemo or die in three months. The chance of him surviving chemo are very low.

All of that said. I have to say he is in good spirits. The picture of him is during half time of the Superbowl when we were watching the commercial that was 3D.

Anyway, usually I do not preach but I have been through chemo and I was healthy when I started. I almost died after my first treatment. Patty Jo can tell you how hard it is to watch someone you love slip away.

My brother is in severe pain. One of the tumors is over a foot long. I am praying he will survive but if he does not I am praying for his pain to be lifted.

All of your prayers are welcome. His name is Donnie Fairburn.

Sandra

[witha'K'quilting]

Sandra, I will put your brother in my prayers...and you also. Hang in there, I pray too that he stays comfortable for all that he is about to go through.

[quiltmonkey]

Sandra, little tears well up in my eyes as I type this. I send heartfelt thoughts and prayers to you and your family, and your very brave brother, Donnie, during this terribly difficult time. I cannot even imagine going through something like this. Thank you for sharing your personal family tragedy with us.

(((lots of hugs))) Shana

[IBQLTN2]

Sandra

I am so sorry to hear about your brother and the condition that he is in. I will certainly keep him and your family in prayer. Yes, cancer is a terrible thing and anything that can be done to avoid it we must all take very seriously. Smoking is one thing that we can avoid, there are so many other things that we cannot avoid that it seems we would all want to do what we can and that would mean to stop or not start smoking. While you are on the forum about this subject, I am not sure if I may have mentioned it before, but another thing that everyone may want to think about limiting is their use of cell phones and blue tooths. I lost a very young dear friend this past summer due to brain cancer. She died within 6 months of finding out she had brain cancer and she was only 33 years old. The doctors were about 99 % sure that the brain tumor was caused by 6 years of cellphone use of about 6 hours a day. They did not have a home phone and this girl loved to talk. It seems that alot more cases are starting to pop up and the more time goes by and research into this seems to be showing an increase in brain cancer in younger people. I think of it everytime I see someone wearing a bluetooth which has a reciever and especially when I see children who have cellphones and they seem to constantly have them to their ears. I actually like the idea that they love to text more than talk. Sorry just a little food for thought. This girl should not have died the way she did, and if I can keep anyone else from this same fate it would be wonderful. I do use a cell phone but use it handsfree mostly in my car and on speaker otherwise and certainly limit my usages, Prayers for your brother Donnie.

[roberta]

Sandra, I am so sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to you both. I have a nephew who smokes and I worry so. It is good of you to share this story, mabye it will help someone quilt. You both will be in my thoughts.

[lindasewsit]

I just said a prayer for Donnie. Praying for you too. linda

[JustSewSimple]

Oh, Sandra, I am so sorry for you, your brother and your entire family. Oh, my, what an awful situation and he is very young. I pray that chemo works and gives him more quality time with his family. Keep up updated.

[Bonnie]

Sending not only prayers for Donnie, but you as well....and of course a HUGE hug.....you too keep well, and know that we all are praying for him.

[DoryJM]

Sandra, I'm so sorry for you and your brother. It is horrible having to watch someone you love suffer. I'm sending you hugs and prayers.

Donnie, I worry about the cell phone thing with my step-daughters. It seems as if no one under 30 has a landline-they all have cell phones and use them constantly. Thanks for telling us about your friend.

[pigletaz]

Yes, you all in my thoughts and prayers too. Also, related to the cell phone thing - I've started using a wired headset which keeps the cell phone away from the head and the headset is not a bluetooth since it is wired, it keeps the danger away from your brain. Just FYI - the company is called theboom.com if anyone is interested. About $25 more money than a $99 bluetooth and the sound quality is the best.

[LinneaMarie]

Praying and positive thoughts coming his and your way! Can you get them through my tears? My love and thoughts are with you!

Linnea

[mrsbishwit]

Sandra;

I am so sorry this is happening to your brother and your family, when you think of 50 years old one thinks mid life not a potential end of life. I will pray for all of you, stay strong & God Bless!

[sspingler]

My prayers go out to your brother and your family.

I've been smoking for 39 years and "knock on wood" my doctor said I have the nicest set of lungs he's ever seen. I've tried everything on the market, including cold turkey, to quit and just can't seem to do it.

[Quilting Heidi]

Sandra,

My prayers are with you, Donnie and the rest of your family! I'm so sorry that he is in such pain and I pray that he makes it and is comfortable! Big hugs to you and please let me know if I can do anything for you! ((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))))))

[Stagecl]

Sandra,

You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

[lizziesgirl]

Sandra, Many prayers for your brother and your family.

[MarieBrewer]

I will add Donnie to my prayer list. I'm sorry you have to go through all of this heartache!!!

[RitaR]

May the Lord hold all of you closer than usual... my heart hurts for you, prayers for sure!

give him a hug for me, please.. tell him God said to.

RitaR

[Sandra Darlington]

Sandra,

Donnie is in my prayers and I will also pray for you and your family. I understand what the family is going through, as my father died from lung cancer. That was on Halloween evening 1978.

Huggs,

Sandy

[Gator]

Sandra my thoughts and prayers are with you and your brother. I never smoked, my parents did it for me as I was growing up!!! I hate it when people say I have to die of something!!! My mother was only 57 when she struggled and slowly suffocated to death because of emphysema. It's a horrible death, we watched as she gasped for breath and her hallucinations from carbon dioxide build up was unbearable. Sorry, guys but this is frustrating, smoking makes no sense. Saundra if you need anything or just want to talk, call me.

[Primitive1]

Sandra,

I will certainly keep your dear brother Donnie and your family in my prayers. It is very painful watching someone you love going through this. I am praying for comfort for you.

Vicki

[PamelaA]

Sandra,

You and your brother Donnie are in my prayers.

Pamela

[ramona-quilter]

Sandra,

I will be sure to put Donnie and the entire family in my prayers. When one member of the family is afflicted, it affects the people, mostly family, around them.

Cigarettes are just bad. I smoked for 22 years. I continued to smoke for 2 years after I was diagnosed with emphysema at the age of 39. Just dumb.

I had a friend who had survived lung cancer. He was a heavy smoker. They had to remove the cancerous area from that lobe of his lungs and for a short time, he was cancer-free. Then he went back to smoking and got cancer again. They removed another portion of his lungs. He was cancer-free until he started smoking again. He was so hard-headed and so addicted to cigarettes. It was just too hard for him to quit. He did finally quit when they buried him. I miss him.

I will pray for Donnie's full recovery, including no smoking in his future.

[PattyJo]

Sandra - I too will be praying for your brother Donnie. As you said, watching a loved one go thru Chemo, Radiation, pills that make your entire body burst into pussy pimples and your mouth to become so sore it hurts to swallow even water is very hard. For those of you out there that are still smoking, or leading any other type of lifestyle that is a contributor to any type of cancer, please rethink what you are doing to your body. When Bill was going thru his treatments, there were times that we had to change the sheets on the bed daily because of the pimples that came all over his body and would burst when he laid down, sat down etc. I don't want to get too graphic, but if this will help one of you to realize that you are way more important than any cigarette, drink, drug or phone call, etc. then your being offended by me is worth it.

I do know how addictive cigarettes are. I smoked from age 16 to age 33 and in reality it doesn't really make much difference how many years that is, you are killing cells each time you light up. And by the way, I smoked 3 packs a day. I never did anything with moderation! I tried many times to quit until I actually joined a stop smoking program. It worked for me, but I know of some that it didn't work for. My advice would to be keep trying to get the help that you need to quit these cancer sticks. I can tell you that once you have finally quit, your whole outlook on life greatly improves because cigarettes are no longer controlling your life. You can go anywhere, do anything and never again have to plan ahead to have that smoke. You will be in control of your life again. What a concept.

My Dad died of a stroke (another complication of smoking), my Mom died of lung cancer, my Uncle from Emphysema. All of them were very important in my life and all of them taken way too early because of this bad habit of smoking.

OK, I'm getting off my soap box now. Just know that the people who love you are the ones that will have to watch you go thru all of this if you continue. I say all of this with love and I hope that this will be another wake up call to consider making a change.

This chat is so special to me that I care about all of you. I usually try to leave you laughing, but today, I want to leave you thinking.

[AbigailE]

My prayers are with you as you travel this healing journey. When my sister had breast cancer I made a quilt with prayers for healing in it. Fully realizing that my defination of healling and God's healing might not be the same idea. I pray for you both to know peace; that there be tears in your laughter and joy in your sorrow. May your family be held in the arms of the Comforter.

Abigail