4391aas@hou2f.UUCP (A.SCHWARZ) (02/22/84)
When I moved into my house 4 years ago, I became friends with the guy across the street since we had the same hobby (ham radio). He was a smoker, and at the time, I was also. In Sept. 81 he came over and while I was smoking a butt he told me I should give it up. I asked why lecture me when he smokes himself (2 packs a day). Well, he told me he had lung cancer, and was given six months to live. This absolutely floored me, but I still didn't give up smoking. Being as we were friends, I was able to witness first-hand the hell a person goes through when stricken with terminal lung cancer ( although surely not as first hand as his wife and kid). The first signs were a drastic decrease in his energy, then he would get intermittent pains every now and then that would stop him cold for a few seconds if we were talking. Four months after his diagnosis the pain was constant, but he was able to still function. As the pain grew worse, he would tell me how he could never understand how people could wish for death until now. It was at this time that I gave up smoking. Age here is 27 and smoked for approx. 10 years. The constant pain gradually worsened until the slightest cough would make him scream in pain, and the act of screaming would cause that much more pain. So he would stop and have the most godforsaken expression on his face to try to hold back, tears would roll down and he'd break into a cold sweat. This is not very comforting to watch. Sometimes we heard him scream in his house at night ( he lived across the street, thats how loud it was). He later was confined to bed in the family room so he could watch TV and be with the family more so than if in the bedroom. He chose to live his life out at home, most opt for this or a hospice rather than a cold hospital. I went over the house to talk and help his wife "flip" him over to alleviate bedsores. The last time I did that was about 72 hours before his death. About 12 hours before his death his wife said he asked for me to come over. I did and he hugged me and said "goodbye". The next morning he died. He was 48. For the guy who's taking a poll, I'm an ex 1.5 pack/day smoker (2 years ago), and put in about 20-25 miles a week running. Isn't it amazing how a person can change? Enjoy your smokes Al Schwarz ATT Bell Labs (201) 949-3337