This video was created over a
one-year period. At first, it
was just random use of a video
camera, plus a few pictures
taken during a visit in
September of 2006. Of course,
this was before we knew that
Mom had a collapsed lung. She
went in for tests, and it was
discovered that she had Stage
IV Lung Cancer. As we learned
of th
more

This video was created over a
one-year period. At first, it
was just random use of a video
camera, plus a few pictures
taken during a visit in
September of 2006. Of course,
this was before we knew that
Mom had a collapsed lung. She
went in for tests, and it was
discovered that she had Stage
IV Lung Cancer. As we learned
of the cancer diagnosis in
October of 2006, we tried to
get Mom down to California
(from Niagara Falls, Ontario,
Canada). It was a race against
logistics and paperwork (i.e.
obtaining documentation in
order to cross a border and
travel), which we
unfortunately lost. Mom
suffered a stroke, ironically
on the same day as she
received her birth
certificate, which would have
allowed her to travel to
Southern California. The
stroke left her left side
completely paralyzed, and she
was stuck in the hospital, no
longer the independent woman
she once was. We were summoned
to fly up immediately, as we
were told by her doctors that
her death would not be far
behind. Mom proved them all
wrong, and lived for four more
months. Of course, the quality
of life was minimal at best.
There was no treatment, since
the cancer was discovered so
late, and due to the stroke.
We have since learned that
often times, a biopsy can
knock loose cancerous material
within a tumor, which can
cause a stroke. It was
extremely difficult to watch
her suffering in a hospital
bed, and wondering why her
last months had to be made
that much worse due to the
stroke. So, Mom never did get
to come see where we live in
California. We continued to
videotape the entire ordeal,
so that family (who couldn't
be with us at that time) could
see everything. We ended up
with approximately 90 minutes
of raw footage, which has been
edited down to the 10 minutes
allowed here. First, we have
done this to honor Mom's last
wishes: tell people not to
smoke. Second, we have
completed this very emotional
project to honor her memory,
and to help us as we continue
through the grieving process.
Finally, we are aware that
much of the anti-smoking media
is not so real to life--it
doesn't show the suffering,
what the families go through,
and the pain that cigarettes
actually cause. This
documentary is
'non-Hollywood'. We have
omitted certain things that
one might find offensive,
including her IV, vomiting,
bodily functions, and her
actual death itself, which was
obviously painful. Instead, we
have brought many different
segments together, which still
conveys our overall message:
DON'T SMOKE!

In a letter dated September
24, 2006, from Mom:
'Try not to worry about my
health. I go for a CAT-SCAN on
October 4th. I should have the
results about a week later.
The appointments are taking a
long time, so I must not be in
such dire shape, or they would
rush them. I'm glad you never
really had the desire to
smoke. What do your lungs look
like after all of those years
of second-hand smoke? I can't
wait to see you and Patti more
often. Gotta go for now. Love
Forever, Mom'

To conclude, one can compare
smoking cigarettes to a
slow-motion car accident. At
any time, you can get out of
the car before it crashes. It
is your choice. Furthermore,
you may be driving your own
car, but please remember that
you take passengers along for
the ride.

Category People & Blogs

Tags Cigarettes, , Lung, Cancer, Stroke, Government, Sponsored, Drug, Death, illness, hospital, educational, last, wish, family, parent, son