A rare photo of damaged lungs that will make you quit smoking

A middle aged lady ‘Katarini’ from Bosnia lost her cousin to lung cancer after 20 years of smoking and she shares her story to the world on the dangers and side effects of smoking.

Just to be clear I am no medical expert; but you do not need to be one to understand the gravity of this matter.

This I can say is something that has given me chills after I came across it in a thread of tweets with information to raise awareness on lung cancer.

Here is her story;

I’m from Bosnia, where the smoking culture is everywhere. Women often smoke pregnant, with kids in their laps or around them. People smoke in all public places and even some offices. Most people start in their teens.

To show you how prevalent the smoking culture is – if you want to go to a restaurant and if you request a non-smoking area, most restaurants will tell you to go sit in an area that isn’t close to anyone and eat before the smoker majority shows up.

When you go out, you come home stinking like an ashtray. I was so tired of having to wash and wear out my coats and jackets all the time. People smoked around me and the general attitude was – if you don’t like it leave.

Like a lot of young men, my cousin started smoking in his teens. All his friends did it, too. He wasn’t a drinker which was unusual in Slavic culture, but he smoked like a chimney. Like a lot of people back home, he never saw a doctor for general or annual checkups.

The health care system there is corrupt too. Doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff all expect you to “put something in the envelope”. In a public health care system, there are still people who can’t access a good doctor because corruption is expensive. People play the game.

Unfortunately, this creates a culture of not consulting medical professionals. People only go to the doctor when the problem becomes so severe, when they can no longer live with it. That’s what happened to my cousin. His cancer spread everywhere.

He was mistreated by the doctors and nurses. The hospital used him to max out the amount of money the government would pay for his care. Our family was desperate for all possible cures, from some Siberian immuno supports to shady Cuban scorpion venom remedies.

No treatment could help after his diagnosis. He lost a lot of weight. Everyone was fighting death and the corrupt system. On the night of his death, the ambulance didn’t even bother to hurry up. They came 45 minutes later. In a small town, they could have been there in 5 mins.

He died in my aunt’s arms. He left behind broken hearts and sadness. Only on his death bed he said to God: “I will change if I get better”. He never did. He never listened when he was told to take care of himself. He never considered that his mom would become a zombie.

Nobody considered that for extended families who are close as if we were one, death of a loved one who goes before his time invites such sadness that never goes away. My mom is his aunt, I see her cry every Christmas, on his birthday. She finds no joy in Christmas anymore.

I beg you to take care of yourselves. We love you even when you are struggling with your demons who won’t let you see that. Cigarettes, drugs and alcohol don’t heal the soul and they’re not worth it. Consider your own life, but also those of us who are left to mourn you.

Sure, not everyone who smokes will get cancer, and you’re fine now because Uncle Death isn’t asking for you yet. You know that one old guy in your area who is “healthier than anyone” and is fine. Don’t play with fire. Your life wasn’t given to you to gamble it away.

My cousin passed away from lung cancer at the age of 33. He smoked at least a pack a day, sometimes even 3 or 4. He died in his mother’s arms, grasping for oxygen, screaming “open the window!”. It was wide open.

If you’re seeing this, please consider quitting. It’s not worth it. https://t.co/nAtqnmKCqW— Katarina Kosača🇻🇦 (@catholicdisco) February 23, 2019