Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:
The average lifespan of a worker bee is one year. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Yoda, who lived for 900 years. I definitely don’t want to see as many centuries as Yoda, but I do look forward to a long life well into my 80s, maybe even 90s.
Longevity is a common motivator for people trying to quit tobacco. It’s true that quitting tobacco extends your life, and improves quality of life at the same time. Participants share that by living longer they’ll be able to see their kids graduate from high school or watch grandkids grow into adulthood. It saddens me, though, when participants talk of longevity in terms of living until age 60, or even early 70s. That still seems so young to me, and yet for them it may be an age they will never see.
My maternal Grandfather lived until age 94 and got to know his great-grandchildren. Such a gift for all of us! My dad was pleased just to reach the age of 60. As I wrote in a previous article, On Father's Day, A Tribute to My Smoke-Free Dad:
His father died shortly after retirement at age 62, from pneumonia. Only a few weeks later his mother, also 62, died of cancer. Although it's uncertain to what extent smoking contributed to their deaths, smoking certainly shaved years off their life.
Dad worried, probably more than most, that he wouldn't even live to see his 60's, and certainly not his 70's. Recently celebrating his 68th birthday (or "The 20th anniversary of my 48th birthday," as he says), he has well outlived the age when his parents died.
Like many of our participants, my Dad didn’t expect to ever blow out 60 candles on a birthday cake. Now in his early 70s he is going strong. My mom, also in her early 70s (sorry for spilling the beans on your age, mom), is preparing for another half-marathon walk. Some of our participants at that age can’t even walk to the mailbox because they’re short of breath from emphysema.
It causes me to wonder: Do people set low expectations because their parents died relatively young? Are they simply being practical about how much time tobacco is shaving off their life? Or, based on their current health, they realize that continuing the stated course will result in an early death. Most likely all three factors are taken into consideration, especially the latter. In our line of work it’s not uncommon to speak to participants who’ve had a stroke at age 40, quadruple bypass at age 45, or a partial lung removal at age 60. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults who smoke die about 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.
One thing I love about my job is helping participants see that it is never too late to quit tobacco. The body does amazing things to repair itself. Because of genetic factors we are not always in control of how long we live. We can, however, ensure the longest life possible by taking good care of our bodies. Yoda didn’t smoke, and look how long he lived!