As the “Great American Smoke Out” approaches, I have one thing in mind: saving my mother’s life. My mother is a talented, beautiful woman who is dying from a word we like to ignore – “addiction.” She has been addicted to nicotine since the ripe old age of 18 years; she is now 58. She stopped smoking once in her life, during her pregnancy with me. Other than that, she has been inhaling this disease of a drug for more than 20 years. As this day nears, most of us will ignore the growing problem of lung cancer, emphysema and other illnesses caused by smoking, but for those of you who understand my pain and feel the need to make a difference, I beg you to do so. Try it, maybe just for this one day, but at least give it a chance, and for those of you who don’t smoke and have friends who smoke – support them and encourage their decision on quitting. Finally, for those who are struggling with quitting, just keep in mind if you quit, you won’t be reading a letter like this from your child one day.

Wendy Jean Saathoff

Senior, corporate communication