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I thank God for having a bed on which to sleep at night.  My spine is starting to take the shape of my well-uses mattress, though.  I have learned you need money for a mattress. I have learned you need health to make money.  If only I had more fans that helped to keep me cool in the summer.  Fans with money to invest in me being cool.  I don't need to be too cool, somewhere in the 70s would

It would be nice to have a friend or two that I can be there for the best I can.  My family has already done for me what they feel is doable.  I want to make new friends and keep the old.

 

Issues of Concern Of Which I Dream Being Taken Care

  • The disclosure of ingredients and additives in tobacco products.
  • For those who won't can't quit, changes can be made in tobacco products to reduce harm such as reduction of harmful components when technologically feasible.
  • Scientific scientific testing of tobacco products and health claims about them would be great.  
  • Restrict advertising and promotions that appeal to smaller lungs.
  • Crack down on illegal sales of tobacco products to children. 

    •  

    I dream of all this happening. 

     

    Take Action - Say no to giving your lungs more stuff in the air that they have filter out.

    January 10, 2007 City bans smoking in cars with kids...The Associated Press reported  that for the second year running, Maine is the only state in the country to get a straight-A report card from the American Lung Association for its anti-smoking efforts. The health group announced Maine's high rating on Tuesday, a day after Bangor City Council broadened the state's war on smoking by passing an ordinance that prohibits people from smoking in vehicles when children are present.  In the lung association's State of Tobacco Control report, Maine got A grades in four areas in which all states were judged: restricting youth access to tobacco products; limiting exposure to secondhand smoke; discouraging demand through high prices; and funding a comprehensive tobacco prevention and treatment program.  Pediatrician Robert Holmberg said the evidence is "incontrovertible" that exposure to cigarette smoke causes medical disorders in children, including asthma, bronchitis, ear infections and heart disease.

    For the full article, click here.

    February 13, 2007  World Trade Center Still Claiming Victims...Some of the people who worked amid the dust, smoke and ash at the site have died. Others have developed conditions including respiratory problems,...

    Read more of this CNN article

    November 15, 2006  Smoking May Boost Teens' Asthma Risk...Reuters reported that a new study found that teenagers who smoke are more likely than their peers to develop asthma. Researchers followed 2,609 children between the ages of 8 and 15, who were asthma-free at the start of the study. They found that youth who said they smoked regularly were four times more likely than their non-smoking peers to develop asthma symptoms over the eight year study period.


    For the full article by Amy Norton, New York (Reuters Health): click here.


    September 14, 2006  Smoking While Pregnant Boosts Baby's Heart Defect Risk...HealthDay reported that a new study finds that women who smoke during early pregnancy are more likely to have babies with congenital heart defects...The study found that exposure to secondhand smoke in early pregnancy also increased the risk of CHD.


    Election Day 2006  I would like to thank you and the thousands of concerned citizens across the five states that took a stand against tabacco.


    October 19, 2006  Smoking and Driving Never Mix...HealthDay reported that a recent study found that rolling the windows down while driving and smoking doesn't eliminate the unhealthy effects of secondhand smoke for kids and other sensitive passengers. In the study, researchers attached a pollution monitor to a child safety seat in a car and had a smoker-volunteer drive an hourlong route. The test was repeated 45 times with variations in how many windows were open and how wide they were open. When all the car windows were wide open, the average level of particles under 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5) in the car was 51 micrograms, compared to 272 micrograms when only the driver's window was opened slightly. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Air Quality Index, 24 hours of exposure to PM 2.5 levels greater than 40 micrograms per cubic meter is a health risk for sensitive people, including children, the elderly, and those with certain medical conditions. Levels of PM 2.5 greater than 250 micrograms are a health hazard for all people.

    October 10, 2006  Workplace Smoking Ban Improves Employees' Health...HealthDay reported that a recent study found that the workplace smoking ban that was imposed in Scotland last year resulted in almost immediate benefits. The study found that the health of people working in bars improved significantly within a short time after a smoking ban was went into effect. Within one month of the ban’s introduction, there was dramatic improvement in the number of bar workers experiencing symptoms because of exposure to secondhand smoke, the amount of nicotine in the bloodstream of bar workers declined, and their lung capacity improved. Before the ban, nearly 80% of the bar workers in the study had respiratory or sensory symptoms. One month after the ban, only 53.2% had symptoms. After two months, 46.8% exhibited any symptom, a total decrease in symptoms of 32.4%.


    September 21, 2006  Smokers May Have Higher Risk of HIV...Reuters reported on  a recent review of 16 studies finds that smoking may increase the risk of infection with HIV, though no link was found between smoking and the progression from HIV to AIDS. The researchers who conducted the review suggested that tobacco smoke may increase susceptibility to HIV infection by modifying a variety of immune system responses. Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, respiratory problems, lung and other types of cancer. The results of this review suggest that public health measures that encourage smokers to quit could also improve the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention programs.


    September 20, 2006  Second-Hand Smoke Exposure Boosts Miscarriage Risk...Reuters reported  that a new study suggests that pregnant women who are exposed to second-hand smoke may be at heightened risk for suffering miscarriages. Researchers compared 463 women who had miscarried at 6 to 12 weeks of pregnancy with 864 women at the same stage of pregnancy who had not miscarried. To evaluate nicotine exposure, the researchers measured study participants' blood levels of cotinine, a marker for nicotine exposure. 24% of the women who had miscarried had cotinine levels indicating passive smoke exposure, compared with 19% of the controls. Those whose cotinine levels indicated they were exposed to second hand-smoke were 67% more likely to miscarry than those who weren't exposed to second-hand smoke. The researchers also found that women who smoked were more than twice as likely as nonsmokers to miscarry.


    September 19, 2006   ADHD Cases Linked to Lead, Smoking...The Associated Press reported that a new study finds that as many as one-third of cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in U.S. children may be linked to exposure to tobacco smoke before birth or to lead exposure afterward. The new study builds on previous research linking attention problems, including ADHD, with smoking during pregnancy and offers one of the first estimates for how much environmental factors might contribute. The study's estimate is in line with a National Academy of Sciences report in 2000 that said about 3% of all developmental and neurological disorders in U.S. children are caused by toxic chemicals and other environmental factors and 25% are due to a combination of environmental factors and genetics.

    For the full article by Lindsey Tanner AP Medical Writer: click here.


    August 30, 2006  Cigarettes Pack More Nicotine...The Boston Globe reported on August 30, 2006 that a study by the Massachusetts Department of Health found that the amount of nicotine that could be inhaled from cigarettes increased by an average of 10% between 1998 and 2004.

    For the full article by Stephen Smith, Boston Glode staff:  click here.

    July 25, 2006   At Risk: A Surgery Hazard for Children Exposed to Smoke.  By Eric Nagourney, New York Times:  article

    July 21, 2006   Cocoa Beach smoking ban goes to voters!  article 

    June 27, 2006  Attorney General says No safe amount of second-hand smoke!  article

     

    Sponsored by American Lung Association Action Network

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    I'm looking for people to love with whom I can grow old!   

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    What's New for Me

    Monday, February 26, 2007

    I’ve been doing great recently compared to before.  My breathing has been a lot more stable and tends to be better overall.  When I get to the beach, it is good when I breathe better because I am lucky enough not to run in to tabacco smoke.  However, I have a whole lot of allergies anywhere else, so it kind of weakens me.  For the first time in a while, I feel like I am in good shape other than my chronic lung problems.  I hope that the not dying keeps up and that I will have a good life of my own making.   

    Thursday, February 15, 2007

    On Tuesday, I went to the beach in my bikini.  The wind, water, and air all combined to be great for my breathing.  It was as if I didn't have to spend every moment trying to figure out how to not die.  Even though there were plenty of people on the beach, none of them were smoking.  Mom and I had a little part of the beach to ourselves.  I was even able to do yoga in the sand.  It was kinda tough keeping my balance, because the sand was wet and uneven.  Yes, I could have balanced a bit easier on the flatter dry sand, but I was up for a challenge!  I even went out a little in the water, though it was a little chilly.  Only locals seemed to be out today.  The weather was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold.  I sprinted back in forth on the beach for no real reason, other than I had the air to do it.  People watched with interest as I did my yoga poses and I didn't mind.  I'm sure it seemed unusual – but at least I was entertaining for a reason other than wearing my mask!   

    Sunday, November 26, 2006

    Well, I've been doing progressively better during this fall.  My breathing is pretty stable, even though I have my good days and bad days.  Life seems to be giving me just as much as I need to survive right now.  Money is tight, but there is food on the table.  I've been busy this holiday season compiling and on-line gallery of family photos.  Now, I just have to put them in the right order.  There has been a cold snap here in Florida a little before Thanksgiving.  Before it occurred, I had been going to the beach often and getting a little bit of a winter tan.  We went from bikini weather to sweater weather.  It's warmed up a bit, but it is still windy and nothing less than long sleeves will do!  The cold weather makes the holidays seem a little more believable.  Looking at old Christmas pictures, I am in better shape and better health than I was last year.  I hope these holidays will be great!

    Thursday, September 19, 2006 

    I was asked if I was going to have to live with being sick for the rest of my life.  Well, let's just say I wasn't expected to make it this far, let alone improve my breathing.  When I was sick I prayed to God to get me well enough that I wasn't struggling for every breath, at least for a little bit.  Even so, I still get bronchitis every year with a couple of exceptions.  When I don't have bronchitis, I have trouble breathing when I am exposed to cigarette smoke, perfume, chemicals and the like.  The least little thing bothers me.  However, if I wear a  mask and watch where I go, I can live and I WILL be fine someday.  My lungs will probably always be sensitive, but I am getting stronger all the time!    

     

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