This is my story about how tobacco affected my family. Above is a photo of my mother, MaryLou,
and me on my wedding day October 26, 1985. In 1984 my father, Paul, was diagnosed with lung
cancer. He had become a regular smoker while a soldier during World War II and continued to
smoke until the day he was told that he had inoperable lung cancer. The doctors said that his
cancer was definitely due to smoking cigarettes. Though my mother and I are smiling in this photo
there is much heartache behind the smiles. You see, my father died on September 29, 1985 and
was therefore, not able to attend my wedding. Lung cancer is caused primarily by tobacco use and
he was one of 150,000 lung cancer deaths in the USA that year alone. It's a very painful way to
die. After 39 years of marriage, my mother chose to wear his wedding ring on a necklace for the
wedding.

Patricia R. Hale
Portland, OR
U.S.