Sessions to help give up on smoking
Kathleen Barron, who quit smoking with the help of Northumberland Stop Smoking Service, with advisor Brenda Warner.
DROP-in sessions are being held to help people thinking about quitting smoking.
Northumberland Stop Smoking Service, provided by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, is holding sessions from 4.30pm to 7pm at Hirst Welfare, Ashington, on Wednesdays, and at Briardale Community Centre, Blyth, on Thursdays until the end of March.
More than 2,000 people were helped last year to quit smoking, including 60-year-old Kathleen Barron, from Bedlington.
The mother-of-three, who lives with her husband, had started smoking when she was 11, but has suffered health problems, being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2009 which left her housebound.
Kathleen said: “I was devastated when I found out I had COPD. Last year my breathing got really bad, I was gasping for air and was rushed to hospital.
“They kept me in for six weeks and told me I needed oxygen 24/7 to stay at home, and that’s when I decided it was time to quit for good.”
Since quitting, Kathleen’s health has improved. She does not need oxygen at home and takes part in regular exercise.
Brenda Warner, stop smoking advisor at the trust, said: “It’s never too late to stop smoking and I would urge anyone who is thinking of quitting to pop in one of our sessions.”
Contact the support service on (01670) 813135 or visit www.northumbria.nhs.uk/stopsmoking
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Saturday 25 May 2013
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