Published on: 24th January 2022
A dad of three is enjoying better finances, food, football and a thumbs-up from his family, thanks to support from Be Well Tameside.
Mark Parker, 47, from Hyde, had been smoking up to 30 cigarettes a day for 31 years, when he turned to the service for help.
Mark explains: “I had tried in the past to give up but never managed to stop for no more than 48 hours, and I didn’t hold out much hope.”
But thanks to support from Donna, health and wellbeing advisor, Mark has now been smoke-free for three months – which has saved him over £1,000 and made his whole family proud.
Mark said: “Until I spoke with Donna, I thought I couldn’t and probably wouldn’t have given up smoking. With Donna’s help and enthusiasm, I have finally given up smoking for good.
“My food tastes better, my children have noticed, they keep telling me how proud they are, and my fiancé is over the moon.
“Prior to quitting I would go watch Man United and I always wanted to get out after the game and have a cig, it was always on my mind. I now stay after the game in the box with my dad, I don’t even think about having a cigarette.”
After running through the options, Mark decided on patches and an inhalator to keep the cravings away – with the latter helping to ‘keep his hands busy’.
Mark added: “Donna supported me with fortnightly calls, which kept me motivated. I found the longer I stopped smoking the more I didn’t want to let Donna down and my family due to their continued support.”
“I can honestly say that since the first prescription [of patches and an inhalator] I have not had one single cigarette.
“I’ve downloaded the ‘NHS Quit Smoking’ app, which shows I’ve saved £1,063 from not smoking a total of 1,933 cigarettes.
“Without this help from Be Well Tameside I really would not have done this. Thank you so much, I would recommend the service 100 percent.”
Donna added: “It’s been a pleasure to support Mark and to hear that he’s enjoying life smoke-free.
“It’s never too late to quit smoking or to start improving your health. If you live or work in Tameside, then Be Well Tameside is here to help."
You can contact Be Well Tameside on 0161 716 2000 or bewelltameside@nhs.net, or visit www.penninecare.nhs.uk/bewelltameside