Family of former Hartlepool pub landlord and nightclub doorman Denham Thomas speak out as part of Stoptober campaign
The family of a former smoker have spoken out following their husband and father’s death in a bid to encourage others to stop smoking.
Debbie, 59, and Sadie Thomas, 25, from Hartlepool, lost their husband and dad Denham to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in 2021 aged 69.
COPD is an incurable disease that sees lungs severely damaged over time and most cases come from smoking.
Denham’s family decided to speak out as part of Fresh’s Smoking Survivors campaign in a bid to help people quit smoking for their health, family and finances.
The campaign has been launched ahead of Stoptober, a national campaign that takes place every October to encourage people to quit smoking for 28 days.
Debbie said: “Smoking changed Denham’s life completely and it changed all our lives.
"It is so terribly sad thinking of all the things he missed out on.”
The former pub landlord and nightclub doorman was diagnosed with COPD at the age of 35 and from his mid-50s onwards required full-time family care and oxygen.
She continued: “Nothing can prepare you for how frightening it is to see someone close to you struggling to breathe.
"It was such an awful experience because whilst he was gasping for every breath and his lips were going blue, all I could do was watch because if I tried to help, it would only make the situation worse.
"He would tell everyone to stop smoking and tell them ‘You don’t want to end up in a wheelchair and on oxygen like me’.”
Sadie said: “Even as a child I knew things were different because of my dad’s health and it just got worse over the years.”
Dr Neil O’Brien, chief medical officer for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: “Smoking is one of the biggest causes of ill health and early death in our region which is why we have set a goal to reduce rates of smoking to 5% or below by 2030.
"Ultimately, we want to see an end to the death and disease from tobacco smoking across our region.
“As a GP, I see first-hand the devastating effects smoking has on the health of my patients and the impact it also has on their loved ones too.”
Further Stoptober information is available at https://campaignresources.dhsc.gov.uk/campaigns/stoptober-2024/