Mom & Daughter Quit Smoking Together: Inspiring Story

The "Turn the Corner" campaign in Yorkshire and the Humber aims to inspire the region's 562,000 smokers to quit. It powerfully communicates that each cigarette smoked reduces an individual's life expectancy by 20 minutes.

Featured in the campaign are Wendy Robinson and her daughter Amy. Wendy, from Cleethorpes, quit smoking after her mother died from COPD and she herself was diagnosed with kidney and lung cancer. Her daughter Amy, from Hull, decided to quit while pregnant and inspired by her mother's health struggles.

Wendy expressed relief at quitting, emphasizing her desire to be present for her husband and daughter, and prevent her daughter from experiencing similar losses. Amy shared that witnessing her mother's cancer battles was horrific, motivating her to quit after 34 years. Amy's pregnancy further solidified her resolve to remain smoke-free.

Other individuals, like Gillian Cunningham from Pocklington, also share their life-changing experiences with quitting. Cunningham, who started smoking at 11 and quit nearly 10 years ago, now works as a tobacco dependency adviser and encourages persistent quit attempts, suggesting finding suitable aids and taking it one day at a time. She noted dramatic improvements in her breathing and increased quality time with her family after quitting.

The campaign is a collaborative effort by the Centre for Excellence, all 15 local authorities in Yorkshire and Humber, and Yorkshire Cancer Research. This initiative underscores smoking as a major preventable cause of cancer worldwide, often impacting families across generations.