I spent a very long time texting back and forth with Fannie’s daughter last night, she is really struggling. For those of you who do not know, Fannie was “Courage” on this site, she died on Valentine’s Day, in her early 50’s, after many, many failed attempts to quit smoking. It is hard to get all of the information in texts but her daughter said that she has to move out of her Grandmother’s house, her grandmother died a few months before Fannie. She has two dogs and no one is willing to rent to someone with two dogs. She said that if Fannie was still alive, she would let her move home, at least for now but her father says no. She said she is basically going to be homeless. I have to believe that things are going to work out somehow. She cannot move in with her boyfriend because he lives with his family and the place is already overcrowded. One brother is married, I think, the other one is younger and, last I knew, he was still living at home and there were issues around that. She admits that her father is having a really hard time, so are her brothers. Right now, she is angry with Fannie for leaving them, she said that Fannie was her best friend and now she has no one she can confide in the way she was able to confide in Fannie, she has no Mom. We texted until she said she had to go cry herself to sleep again. My heart is breaking for her, for that entire family. She is in therapy but told me that she really appreciates me being there for her and not charging a copay. She thanked me for being HER friend as well as Fannie’s.
If you are struggling to quit smoking and you are in denial about what it is doing to your body, PLEASE think of those you will leave behind if you die as a result of smoking, PLEASE. I know that Fannie would never have wanted this, she could not accept what was happening to her body until it was too late. I loved her, many people here loved her, we are all sad that we lost her but this first Mother’s Day for her family is going to be so hard. This did not have to happen, she did not have to die.
Quit for yourself…for what YOU want to leave as your legacy. I am “watering my face” now, Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers, the people who had or have mothers, and the mothers to be as well as the surrogate mothers in the form of step-moms, aunts, big sisters, etc.
PLEASE protect your quit…PLEASE!
