Today is World Cancer Day.

When I think of smoking, I think of my mother. She smoked for many years. I grew up watching her struggle to quit. There were not many options available at the time to help her quit. Sure, nicotine patches and gum were around but my mother was an addict. She loved not only the sensation of smoking but all the rituals around it. 

I remember going on visits with my dad, who was a non-smoker, and being told I had to bathe and wash my clothing as it smelled of cigarettes. That was the normal back then though, smoking was allowed in homes and second-hand smoke wasn’t a thing many were aware of. It was a different time. But one thing hasn’t changed, smoking is harmful to your health.

At the age of 42 my mother was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. 

She knew the health risks associated with smoking. My mother struggle for over two and a half years trying to reduce her risk by quitting. However, she was not successful, and smoking took her life when she was 45 years old.

I often wonder if things could have been different if vapour products had been around. Today, smokers have so many choices if they make the difficult decision to quit. Thousands of Canadian smokers have used vapour products to help them stop smoking. I hear about regulations that put up barriers to smokers looking to switch. We should be encouraging smokers to vape not limiting their options. 

 Non-smoking can mean many things. Some people put vaping in the same category as smoking. I don’t. If a smoker uses a vapour product to stop smoking, I say we should count that a life saved.

Vaping can help save lives. I know it would have helped my mother. If you agree, then let Health Canada know by sending a letter to tell them that you say NO to any regulations that limit the choice of vapers, including nicotine caps and show the government that we will not stand by.

CLICK HERE to access our webpage. It will just take a minute to keep vapour available to all those who want to quit smoking.