I started on my 12 birthday—my 3rd Leap Year birthday—in 1948. I thought it made me look more sophisticated, debonair and grown up. 48 years later, on July 21, 2008, I was being lead into the operating room to have an aorta valve replacement.
I started off smoking 2-3 cigarettes a day and at the age of 16 when I was going to the bars I was up to a pack a day. While in the Marines I cut back a bit but by the time I went to work as a server (called waiters back then!) in restaurants I was smoking 2-3 packs a day and would for the next 40 years until that July day when, before going into the operating room, I smoked my last cigarette and now it is 9 years since.
I have not smoked since then and being around smokers doesn’t bother me at all. I still miss a cigarette now and then like when I am on the computer or after a good meal but that only lasts for a second or two.
I consider myself very lucky that all I have from smoking all those years is a slight case of COPD and though my PAD is a little worse I am aware a lot more could have happened to me physically just because I wanted to appear more sophisticated, debonair and grown up 69 years ago!