Back to SearchKingston— In celebration of National Non-Smoking Week from January 15 to 21, 2017, KFL&A Public Health is encouraging local residents to quit smoking and to share their personal quitting smoking experiences in the #QuitStories campaign.
Jeff, a #QuitStories participant, shared his experience of quitting smoking and his fear of future health effects, if he didn’t quit. “My journey began with my 5-year-old son’s inspiring me to quit. I vowed to him that I would quit by the time I turned 30. Later that spring, my father had a bout of congestive heart failure--he was a lifetime smoker. This also prompted me to quit for good!”
Jeff is just one of many community members who shares their #QuitStories with others. “We know that hearing people’s stories about how smoking affected their health motivates others to try to quit,” said Nicole Szumlanski, RN, Public Health Nurse. “The skills that people build and the support that they receive from health care professionals and family while quitting can also increase people’s chances of quitting for good.”
National Non-Smoking Week has been observed during the third week in January for more than 37 years. While the country has an all-time low smoking rate of 15%, thousands of local residents continue to smoke, increasing their risk for developing major health effects, including: cancer, heart disease, lung disease, stroke, or other complications.
The #QuitStories campaign continues through 2017 with new stories being added throughout the year. For all #QuitStories and related videos, visit www.kflaph.ca/quitstories. Media are invited to speak with the participants and to hear more about their stories.
For help or additional resources to quit smoking:
- call the Tobacco Information Line at KFL&A Public Health (613-549-1232, ext. 1333) or the Smokers Helpline (1-877-513-5333), or
- visit: www.kflaph.ca/quitstories.
For more information, contact:
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