A beautiful, heart-felt letter from Janine. Keep up the fight Janine, as will we. I’d also like to send words of support and encouragement both to you and your friend.
Evening Phil,
I was going to phone in for the first time on tonight’s Smoker’s Show but I couldn’t bring myself to pick up the phone. I wanted to speak to anyone watching the show who was considering switching from smoking to vaping, to encourage them to do so. As a former smoker of 40+ years, I switched to vaping almost 4 years ago and have remained smoke free for that time.
For the last year I tried to encourage my dear friend of 35 years to give vaping a try and hopefully put down the cigarettes for the last time. I gave her 3 different devices all designed for MTL, several coils and different strengths and flavours of e-liquid. I gave her a lengthy tutorial as well. She actually quite enjoyed it and hoped vaping would be the answer. I had high hopes she would succeed. It didn’t work for her.
I received a call from her last week, her voice cracked as she gave me the news – she has lung cancer. To be honest, it doesn’t sound good. She is only 55 years old and facing the fight of her life.
After the call ended, I sat staring into the trees from my patio and wondered how I could have helped her more when I tried introducing her to vaping. Did I give her the right devices? Should I have tried harder? Would it have helped?
It’s been a week since I received that call and I’ve had time to digest the news. Although I am gutted and frightened for her, I have come to terms with the fact we will never know if vaping would have helped, whether or not her fate was already sealed. And it really doesn’t matter at this point.
I became angry today, thinking about how vaping is in trouble – the anti-vaping, junk science spewing nay-sayers are getting far too much attention these days, and I fear they are winning. All the lives saved and the possible future lives, don’t seem to matter. Here in Canada we too are now at risk of losing the very thing that could quite possibly be the answer to putting down cigarettes for good. And it does’t matter. Scientific studies are proving that vaping is less harmful than smoking, and it doesn’t matter. The drain on medical systems due to smoking-related illnesses could decrease drastically, and it doesn’t matter. When will truth replace fear and panic? I wish I knew.
What does matter is reaching as many smokers as possible; to spread the word that vaping really can help save lives. And that is what you and Dimitris do with The Smokers Show. It’s likely you will never know how many people you have and will continue to help stop smoking through vaping. But if you can help just one person switch, you have done your jobs.
This is why I wanted to call in tonight, to encourage perhaps that one person watching who was considering making the switch, to do just that – give it a try. And if you don’t quite succeed, don’t stop trying. Please, don’t stop trying.
All the worry in the world won’t help my friend. What will help is if I do my damnedest to encourage people to at least consider giving vaping a try and to continue writing my local Member of Parliment, which I have done repeatedly over the last 10 days. I have sent links to VAEPworld.com , sent informational videos on vaping and pleaded with her to educate herself on the subject rather than regurgitate the false studies and bloated numbers regarding teen vaping. Dammit, I have to try.
I apologize for this lengthy email, Phil, I know you are a busy person. Thank you for all you and Dimitris do for the vaping community, you have helped me in my vaping journey and I am most grateful.
Vaping may not have prevented the fight my dear friend is about to face, but it could help prevent future battles. I’m up for that.
Sincerely,
Janine
4 years smoke free
Store
