Feeling inspired by her daughter, Sheila took the steps to kick a 57-year habit ahead of her 70th birthday later this year. Here, in her own words, she talks us through her journey and the support she received from Yorkshire Smokefree.
Hello, my name is Sheila, I’m 69 and from Wakefield; I wanted to share my story in the hope it inspires others.
I started smoking at the age of 13 when you could buy cigarettes in packs of five. I would spend my dinner money on them… fast forward to July 2019 when I finally made the decision to quit smoking for good.
For most of my life I worked in the NHS, but this still didn’t deter me from smoking. There was just me and my daughter at home, she also smoked, so we were company for each other and shared our cigarettes.
When my daughter met her future wife, they both smoked like chimneys until one day they surprised me with a visit to announce they had stopped smoking. They told me about the money they had saved and how grateful they were for the support they received from Yorkshire Smokefree. The following few months, I was able to watch how happy they were without the cigarettes and the praise they gave to their cessation adviser who they frequently saw.
I thought if they can do it… I’m sure I could at least give it a go! I reached out to Yorkshire Smokefree and since July have regularly met with my local team; during this process, my family have been brilliant and have supported me throughout my journey. I will be 70 in December and after nearly 57 years of smoking I am proud to say I’m now a non-smoker! I hope my story can help someone else to start their smokefree journey, I know that if I can do it than so can you!
If you feel inspired by Sheila's story and would like support in quitting smoking, register for a call back at: https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/pages/callback-request
