Trade You a Makowsky Purse and Good Health for Those Cigarettes

My oldest sister Kellie and I are very close.  She is a Neonatal charge nurse at LA County USC Hospital and amazing at doing a really difficult job which often involves helping parents learn to say good-bye to a premature baby or teaching someone how to hold and care for a baby that fits in the palm of their hand. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and growing up was nothing different.  Being four years older than myself, I pretty much idolized her. (Especially when she started driving and could give me rides everywhere). She and her boyfriend took me out on my first date - which had to be a double date by my mom's rules.  My boyfriend was even her boyfriends brother. (We went to a drive in theater and they made us get in the trunk of her mustang so they wouldn't have to pay extra for us) I wanted to do everything she did.  When she started wearing bell-bottom pants, so did I.  When she had Farrah Faucet hair, I wore mine the same. Blue eye-shadow... I was in!  When she started smoking however, I drew the line. 

Smoking is/was the one thing that every one in my family has done except for me.  Instead, I am the one who developed Asthma around the age of 10, most likely from living in a house of smokers.  I have always been a little pushy about trying to get my family to quit smoking.  When I was a teenager, I decided to write a report on lung cancer so I went to the local American Cancer Society and borrowed a lung that had emphysema (which I rode home on the handle-bars of my 10-speed) and set it on our kitchen table for all of my smoking family members to see.  I also went around the house and turned up all of their lighters so it would singe their eyebrows when they lit up and dipped their cigarettes in milk so they wouldn't light.  I was grounded for my antics many times and I'm sure my family thought I was a pain in the rear, but I felt like it was the only way I could get my point across.  My bedroom even had to have an air purifier and an air conditioner so I could get some fresh air.  I'll never forget having to run from the front of the house to my room, holding by breath all the way, as I ran through the billowing clouds of cigarette smoke.  I made a vow that when I grew up I would never permit anyone to smoke in my house so my kids didn't have to experience what I did.  When I did grow up, I accepted a job as the Southern California Kaiser Permanente Proactive Care Lead where I get to be an adovate for our Tobacco Cessation program.  Go figure :-)

Fast forward about 30 years... My sister and I were hanging out together several months ago and I was showing her a new Bruce Makowsky purse I had purchased.  Makowsky's are my one true splurge and they cost around $200 bucks a pop.  She asked me if she could have one of my old purses.  In my heart, I wanted to give her one because I knew she would never splurge on herself with a purse and it feels so good to have just the right purse made of excellent quality. (Okay... not all of you guys out there will get this, but some of you will - especially if you have ever owned/carried a well-made purse.) My response to her though, was done teasingly and with a hint of sincerity that only a sibling could get away with, "Makowsky's are to be respected.  It doesn't deserve to smell like an ashtray. Quit smoking, and you can have a purse."  Again... I said it teasingly, but what I didn't know is she took it to heart.  

A few weeks ago I posted a comment on her Facebook Wall congratulating Kellie on having reached two months of a quit smoking status.  Here is the response she sent me.

Last Sunday, Kellie came over and I pulled out my Makowskycollection (Shhhh....Don't tell my husband, he thinks I only have a couple) and let her pick the one she wanted as her reward. (Kicking myself for not taking a picture of that moment)  After she choose her purse, we laid down on my bed and talked for a little over an hour.  I asked her if I could blog about her.  Surprised, she said "Really?"  I said, "Yes. I'm really proud of you and want to share your story."  She agreed and the following conversation transpired.

Me: "When did you start smoking?"

Kellie: "I would smoke every now and then as a teenager because my friends would try it.  Then, I smoked socially, like when I would go to bars and clubs.  Nana used to bust me when I got home at night, but she never told anyone.  But, I guess I really started smoking regularly when I was about 24."  "Wow..." she whispered softly, "That was almost 26 years ago."

Me: "How did you feel health wise when you were smoking?"

Kellie: "Well... I guess I thought I felt okay, but it was getting harder to make the trip up the hill from the parking lot to work. I didn't notice how much it affected me until after I quit"

Me: "What do you mean by that?"

Kellie: "Well... I notice it's a lot easier to get up that darn hill now.  Before, my throat would burn and I felt like my chest was tightening.  It was really hard to breathe."

Me: "Dumba--, did you ever think that maybe the smoking was giving you asthma?!" (We both laughed a bit after that comment)

Me: "So what made you want to quit?"

Kellie: "I always had to have my first cigarette right after I woke up and one day I thought, "this doesn't really taste good", but I would just convince myself that it did, because I was so used to smoking I couldn't imagine not.  Then I started counting how many cigarettes I would smoke on my way to work and between breaks - not to mention the ones I smoked before I left.  I was smoking any where from 10 cigarettes a day to a pack and a half a day.  When I added up the cost, it came out to over $50 a week."

Me: "Holy heck... that's one Makowsky purse a month!" (more laughter)

Me: "So how did you do it?"

Kellie: "I switched to electronic cigarettes.  You buy the liquid that contains specific amounts of nicotine.  I'm able to taper down to just liquid."  "It helped me get through the urges I had to smoke, which wasn't easy after a lifetime of smoking."

Me: "What have you noticed that is different about your life now?"

Kellie: "Matt (her husband) asked me if I had noticed something out on our patio and I realized I haven't been on our patio in about 8 weeks!"  "I notice how other smokers smell now and think I must have smelled awful.  No wonder you wouldn't let me have a purse." "I also have extra money now, which is a nice treat. I've been gaining weight though and that sucks :-("

Me: "Weight you can always loose. I'll walk with you if you want.  If you just add 3 10 minute walks a day, I promise you'll start feeling better. You, though, can't be replaced. So if you have to choose between a little extra weight or cigarettes - choose the one that won't destroy your lungs."

Me: "Smelly..." (my nickname for my sister) "I'm proud of you."

Kellie: "Me too."

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If you're a smoker who's thinking about quitting, a concerned family member or friend of a smoker, or a former smoker looking for support, Kaiser Permanente has information and programs that can help.