Quitting smoking: Alfie Thompson’s inspiring journey to a healthier life shows it’s never too late to quit smoking.
“Stop – or keep trying to quit. Smoking ruins your health. If I can do it after almost 60 years, so can you.
Don’t wait– quitting could save your life.”
At 73 years old, Alfie Thompson from Gateshead has proven that it is never too late to quit smoking. After nearly six decades of smoking, a lung cancer diagnosis changed everything. Thanks to the support of the Quit Team at the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital in Gateshead, Alfie has successfully quit smoking, transforming his health and outlook on life.
Alfie started smoking at just 15 years old, and over the years and due to addiction, it became a normal part of his daily routine. However, everything changed when he received a letter from the NHS inviting him for a free lung scan. That scan led to a discovery that would alter his future – a small mass on his lung.
Over the next 18 months, doctors monitored the mass until Consultant Dr Ruth Sharrock confirmed that it could be cancer. She urged Alfie to quit smoking immediately. “It was a difficult time,” Alfie recalls. “I felt scared, and my partner Sharon was panicking. I didn’t think I had the willpower to quit after nearly 60 years.”
Further tests confirmed Alfie’s worst fears – he had lung cancer. After weighing up his treatment options, Alfie opted for an intensive course of radiotherapy over surgery. During his treatment, he was introduced to Barbara Lynam from the Tobacco Dependency Treatment Service at the QE Hospital’s Quit Team in Gateshead. With their guidance, Alfie switched over totally to nicotine vaping as a tried and tested way to quit smoking.
Initially sceptical about his ability to quit, Alfie took a leap of faith. “I said to Barbara, ‘I can’t do this. I don’t have the willpower.’ But what did I have to lose?” Over the course of 12 weeks, he embraced the change, and the results were life-changing.
“I feel amazing now!” Alfie shares. “I have more energy, I look and feel younger, and I’m saving money. My partner Sharon is thrilled—there’s no more horrible smell of tobacco, and my chest tightness has disappeared.”
Although Alfie is still awaiting his final radiotherapy results, he is already feeling the benefits of a smoke-free life. Grateful for the support he received from the Quit Team, he credits them with helping to save his life.
Alfie has a powerful message for others who are still smoking: “Stop – or at least keep trying to quit. Smoking ruins your health and ages you prematurely. I never thought I could quit, but I did. If I can do it after almost 60 years, so can you. Quitting could save your life.”
Dr Ruth Sharrock, Consultant Respiratory Physician and Clinical Lead for Treating Tobacco Dependency on behalf of North East and North Cumbria NHS, said: “Alfie is an incredible example of how with support you can quit smoking. We recognise in the NHS that being dependent on tobacco is a long-term condition that requires clinical treatment – it’s not a lifestyle choice.
“It’s never too late to quit smoking. Smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable ill health, it takes away years of healthy life from the patients I see, and causes people to die early. Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, COPD and dementia.
“Most patients like Alfie, want to quit but don’t have the confidence or the support in place to quit successfully. Across the North East and North Cumbria, we now have tens of thousands of examples where people have gratefully accepted the offer of support to quit. For many who go on to quit, their health has been transformed.
For more information about quitting smoking including using a vape to quit go to www.freshquit.co.uk