Share this if you’ve ever lost someone…

to a smoking-related death:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sabd1SbyLgQ

My family breathed a big sigh of releaf last fall when my father finally quit smoking, after nearly 40 years as a smoker. As a kid in the 80s, both of my parents smoked and so did most of their friends. In the 90s my mom quit but my older brother and sister both started and then so did I.

I remember tobacco companies advertising the ‘coolness’ of cigarettes with big cartoon smoking action figures. I remember collecting ‘Camel Cash’ with friends to send in for prizes. Acquiring cigarettes was never difficult, even though my friends and I were under age.

But I was lucky. My boss at a local Chinese food restaurant made me a deal: quit smoking and he’d give me an amplifier for my new car stereo system. And it worked. And I will always owe a great debt of gratitude to my old boss, Jeff Wong.

You can’t make someone you love quit smoking. But as the statistics at the end of the video show, you can make a difference. Perhaps simply sharing this video will be that difference.