For 45 years, Lisa Wheeler, LMS administrator at Baptist Corporate, was a pack-a-day smoker. She tried to quit, but always kept a pack lying around in case she “got the urge”—so she never really stopped. Then the price of a pack increased overnight to $7.52. That did it.
“I said, ‘That’s it, I’m done,’” said Lisa. “That was last fall, and I have not smoked since. Cold turkey. I gave it up for my health, my two grandchildren, the money—and I wanted to pass the BestHealth Smokerlyzer test. And I did!”
Since she stopped smoking, Lisa has saved $2,000.
“In October, to mark my one-year anniversary, I’m buying a new car!”
Telling others helped.
“I wanted to prove to my husband I could do it,” she said, “and I told everyone I know. The BestHealth staff has been very supportive.”
Lisa already has seen health benefits.
“My last lung CT scan showed mild emphysema, so no telling how much worse that would have been had I not stopped.”
As for advice, Lisa says, “No vape. No cigarettes lying around when you get the urge. Take a deep breath instead. Find a distraction. Drink lots of water.”
Lisa’s keen to make even more changes.
“The older I get, the more important my health is. If something doesn’t feel right, both my husband and I go to the doctor. We want to be around for a long time.”
For more information about BestHealth, click here, call 901-227-2378 (BEST) or email BESTHEALTH@bmhcc.org.
