At the beginning of August Annie saw my profile on a pen pal website and wrote to me. In the short time since we have become the greatest of friends, sharing, apart from many other things, a great love of dogs.

In the fullness of time I told Annie about my illness (meningitis, pneumonia, septicaemia and renal failure) and as she read it, she told me, she realised that she'd read it before here on the No Smoking Day website. Some coincidence!

I firmly believe we were meant to meet because, apart from all life's joys and ups and downs that we now share, I want to help Annie do the one thing she wants to do so much - give up smoking. I don't nag her - what's the point of that? But she knows I'd love her to quit, for the purely selfish reason that I'll have her for a dear friend for longer if she does. She also knows that, if she does stop, she'll have all my support and encouragement. She knows it won't be easy - nothing really worth doing ever is.

Tonight I've read again some of the wonderful and sometimes heart-rending stories on here and they have helped strengthen my resolve. Sixteen months on and I'm still not smoking. Nor is my husband who stopped after 40 years for my sake.

I don't have an easy answer - not for Annie or for anyone - just that, if you want to do it, believe that you can, and if you believe you can, then you will. Maybe not today or tomorrow or next week or next month, but sometime soon, when it's right for you. And if you're even bothering to read this, you want to.

Good luck and best wishes
from Lyn Morgan Ing ”

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