Today is the 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day, a time for us to unite and offer encouragement and support to those on their quitting journey, we are thrilled to be sharing procurement and supplies integrated inventory assistant Jon Farnaby’s journey to becoming smoke free for good.
After being a smoker for a number of years, when Jon heard about the 12 week smoking cessation programme run by the Tobacco dependency service at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust he decided maybe this was his opportunity to kick the habit and improve his health once and for all.
There are over 5.3 million adults in England who still smoke, and smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death in England. In fact, up to two in three smokers will die as a result of long-term smoking.
Jon joined the programme, led by Tobacco Dependency Specialist Advisor Natalie Brookes (pictured above with Jon), in January with hopes it could help him cut back on cigarettes, and eight weeks into the programme Jon hasn’t had a single cigarette, a great achievement.
Jon said “My reasons for deciding to quit smoking were to create a healthier lifestyle and make my work life easier, but my biggest inspiration was to set a better example to my children.
“The support I have received from Natalie has been incredible, quitting smoking has to be one of the hardest things to do and anytime I’ve needed extra help or had the urge to give up Natalie has been there to keep me on track.”
Natalie added: ”Jon has been amazing so far, he regularly attends his appointments and is always punctual. He is willing to give everything a go and has fully engaged with me throughout his journey.
“The 12 week programme is open to all staff and is completely free, our team provides and tailors everyone’s course around their own individual needs, choices and adaptions.”
If you are a member of staff interested in starting your smokefree journey you can contact the team by visiting https://www.nth.nhs.uk/services/stop-smoking-service/.
Be part of the change and help build a smokefree generation. For further information and for free online advice and support, visit: Quit smoking – Better Health – NHS (www.nhs.uk).
