ClearWay Minnesota(SM) exhibit shares inspiring stories of Minnesotans who
struggled to quit
MINNEAPOLIS, June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In smoke-free Minnesota, five
Minnesotans who personally struggled to go smoke-free are sharing their
stories, from the time they started smoking to their state of physical and
emotional well-being today. Their inspiring stories will be showcased in
ClearWay Minnesota's traveling photo essay exhibit today at the IDS Crystal
Court in Minneapolis.
The exhibit celebrates the efforts of Minnesotans who used QUITPLAN(R)
Services, ClearWay Minnesota's free, professional stop-smoking programs
that have helped more than 12,000 Minnesotans successfully quit tobacco
since 2001.
Those visiting the exhibit will also have an opportunity see how their
own faces could become wrinkled and discolored if they smoked for years.
ClearWay Minnesota will be providing free demonstrations of age-progression
software for visitors to experience.
"We are coming up on the one-year anniversary of the statewide
smoke-free law and want Minnesotans to know where they can find help to
successfully quit smoking," said David Willoughby, ClearWay Minnesota's
Chief Executive Officer. "We are proud to share stories of Minnesota
quitters through this photo exhibit. We hope it offers inspiration and a
solution to others battling the addiction."
Five smokers' journeys
The Minnesotans featured are:
-- Randy Frazier: As a Twin Cities high school student Randy tried a
cigarette offered from a buddy for the first time while at a soccer game.
From that point forward he smoked on and off for 30 years, finding no
success in his attempts to quit. Now, as a grandfather of three, he has
discovered the once-phantom "new baby smell" after quitting the habit for
good with the help of the QUITPLAN Helpline.
-- Sandra Fynboh: On prom night, at the age of 17, Sandra couldn't
resist her first cigarette offer -- the cigarette gave her something to do
with her hands. As she struggled to support herself and her two small
children, she used more and more cigarettes to cope with stress. Wanting to
be a good role model for her children, she found the power to quit smoking
through the QUITPLAN Helpline and now keeps her hands occupied with her
glasswork.
-- Yvonne Kennedy: Persuaded by friends to try a cigarette at age 12,
she continued smoking for 16 years, even through the births of five
children. She quit for six months during her last pregnancy when she
learned she was having twins -- but, as soon as they were born, she had
another cigarette in the hospital. Years later, when her own health began
to suffer, she found support through a QUITPLAN Center with one-to-one
counseling.
-- Mark Struthers: A pack-a-day smoker for 20 years, he decided to quit
one Sunday morning while sitting at his home computer, smoking a cigarette
and reading a list of lung cancer symptoms online. As a career counselor
who helps other people plan for the future, he found reassurance talking to
a QUITPLAN Center counselor who helped him map out a plan to end his
tobacco use.
-- Robert Murphy: A former Twin Cities radio personality, he received
packages containing free cigarettes from the tobacco companies for more
than two decades, and developed a two-to-three packs-per-day habit for 45
years. Although he still struggles with smoking from time to time, he has
found help through the QUITPLAN Helpline.
The photo essay features the photography of Doug Beasley, founder and
director of St. Paul-based Vision Quest Photo Workshops. Known for
photography that emphasizes vision and personal expression in everyday
life, his work has been exhibited internationally and is widely published.
For the ClearWay Minnesota photo essay, Beasley used black and white
photography to portray each smoker's personality.
"Photography gives us a reason to look deeper and explore what other
people are about," said Beasley. "The photos are fleeting observations of
five people and their connections to spirit and to others."
Each year in Minnesota, tobacco use causes more than 5,600 deaths and
is estimated to cost $2 billion in direct health care costs. Minnesotans
looking for help to stop smoking have a variety of options available to
them through QUITPLAN Services.
The Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007, a comprehensive state law
prohibiting smoking in most workplaces, including restaurants and bars,
went into effect on October 1, 2007. Minnesotans can find out about all the
free help to quit smoking through QUITPLAN Services by calling
1-888-354-PLAN (7526).
QUITPLAN(R) Services for Minnesotans include:
-- The QUITPLAN(R) Helpline -- The QUITPLAN Helpline offers telephone
counseling and free nicotine patches, lozenges or gum to eligible callers.
-- quitplan.com -- The web site offers free lifetime membership,
helpful quitting tools and activities and the chance to connect online with
thousands of others who have chosen to quit tobacco.
-- QUITPLAN(R) Centers -- QUITPLAN Centers provide in-person counseling
in a health care setting, as well as access to nicotine patches, lozenges
or gum.
-- Community-Tailored QUITPLAN(R) Centers -- A combination of
stop-smoking tools and culturally-tailored counseling for communities of
color.
-- QUITPLAN(R) at Work -- The QUITPLAN at Work program offers free
on-site professional group counseling for eligible businesses with at least
eight employees ready to stop smoking.
About ClearWay Minnesota(SM)
ClearWay Minnesota is an independent, non-profit organization that
improves the health of Minnesotans by reducing the harm caused by tobacco.
ClearWay Minnesota serves Minnesota through its grant-making program,
QUITPLAN(R) stop-smoking services and statewide outreach activities. It is
funded with 3 percent of the state's 1998 tobacco settlement. For more
information on ClearWay Minnesota or QUITPLAN Services, call (952) 767-1400
or visit clearwaymn.org.
Contact: Mike Sheldon
Communications Manager
(952) 767-1425
msheldon@clearway.org
Merete Wells
Carmichael Lynch Spong
(612) 375-8532
merete.wells@clynch.com
SOURCE ClearWay Minnesota
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Related links:
http://www.clearwaymn.org
http://www.quitplan.com
CONTACT:
Mike Sheldon, Communications Manager of
ClearWay Minnesota, +1-952-767-1425, msheldon@clearway.org; or
Merete Wells of Carmichael Lynch Spong, +1-612-375-8532,
merete.wells@clynch.com, for ClearWay Minnesota
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