Mother with emphysema tells her story

                        M. C., NSW

I am now 36 years old and a single mother. I was diagnosed 5 years ago with emphysema. I have a 10 year old son who watches me suffer daily, and he suffers too. He watches me choke and spit up slime, he gets my tissues and bucket. He watches me loose my breath and my struggle to breathe each time I have an attack. He has no one to play chase or kick a ball with or walk to the park, or school or anywhere. These everyday things are taken for granted by other families. I have to organise my life in 3-4 hour segments. If I go out, I must be back in 4 hours to nebulise. I carry a portable nebuliser if I fear I will be longer or if we go to Nannas' or a friend's house. Spontaneity goes out the window, everything has to be planned around me and my disease. Camping or fishing is impossible you can't just plug yourself into a tree and wait for lightening to strike. Life goes on!

I have been trying to give up smoking now for 5 years. It is the hardest thing I've ever tried to do, and boy it costs money. I tried months of hypnotherapy, acupuncture, quit programs, lolly substitution, self-help books, nicotine patches and chewing gum, not to mention my own willpower to live for my son…nothing worked. The more I stress out about it, the more I would smoke. I needed to be locked away with no key until the cravings stopped, I wanted to be locked away.

And so my plight began…

After 170 phone calls, and 6 months of paperwork and searching, there was nowhere for a nicotine addict to go. There are rehabilitation centres for every conceivable addiction including emotional addiction, but nowhere for a nicotine addict to rehabilitate. I begged and pleaded to doctors, hospitals, government departments and finally, after six months of begging, I was taken underwing by some professors that wanted to help me. They put me in hospital for 6 days, on anti depressants, and loaded me up on nicotine patches and the rest was up to me. Thank you for the start and help. I was lucky. Now I can be eligible for a lung transplant if I continue not to smoke. It has been 8 weeks now and it's still very hard, but I won't turn back. I want to live.

Since starting this fight to give up smoking, I have met so many people who are in the same boat. They want to give up so bad, but they can't do it by themselves. We need a place for these to go to get help. We need a nicotine rehabilitation unit. I will continue to fight for one, but I need help. If you can help or support in any way, please contact me through ASH's e-mail address. HELP US!!!

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Page last updated on 13/11/2001