Introducing Ron Girsch, Age 68, Harrisburg PA:

Ron Girsch, age 68 of Harrisburg, Pa., knows first hand how difficult it is to quit smoking. Ron grew up with a father who smoked and passed away from pancreatic cancer shortly after Ron’s 12th birthday. Ron hated smoking, but he admired his father and eventually picked up smoking himself at age 13. Ron smoked for 35 years. The first time he tried to quit was in 1967, but he was only able to quit for three to four months at a time.

Following the death of his father-in-law, Ron picked up smoking again in order to cope with the loss. Ron tried quitting dozens of other times with the support of his wife and friends, but was unsuccessful. Ron knew that he chose a life of smoking, and that in order to quit, he had to make a change not to smoke anymore. Ron knew quitting was a daunting task and he was fearful of life without cigarettes. He doubted if he would ever be able to quit for good.

While at the doctor’s office for a routine check-up in 1990, Ron asked for a chest X-ray, something that wasn’t part of the normal procedure. The first X-ray came out clean, but Ron insisted upon having another. The second X-ray showed a small, cancerous tumor in his lung. Luckily, Ron caught the tumor in its earliest stage and immediately sought treatment two days after his checkup. Ron’s diagnosis was the wake-up call that turned his life around, and he hasn’t smoked since.

Today, Ron has been smoke- and cancer-free for 19 years. He admits that it is still difficult to fight the urges to smoke, but he has no desire to start again. He knows how deadly smoking can be after the deaths of his mother and niece from smoking-related illnesses. Ron tells people who are trying to quit that if millions of people are able to quit smoking each year, you can too. He urges people to stay committed, remain positive and keep trying. He says that you must be willing to quit; be responsible for your own actions and be proactive about quitting by finding a personalized method.

Ron joined the “Quitter in You” campaign because he wants to help others who are trying to quit and let them know that quitting is possible through the proven resources available by the American Lung Association.