IAN MCNALLY

Ian quit smoking four years ago and is now a Stop Smoking Advisor at Roy Castle FagEnds

 He said: “I had decided to quit 4 years ago, not for the first time I may hasten to add.  So why was this quit attempt going to be any different from the rest? Well, this was the first time I attempted to receive support from a smoking cessation service.

I had obtained the local number for the smoking cessation support group whilst I was employed as a bus driver.  Obviously like 70% of smokers I thought about quitting on numerous occasions but never actually gotten around to it.  I kept on putting it off.

I stored the number for Roy Castle FagEnds on my phone from the billboard and bus stops with the new advertisements on them showing a horrible white substance coming out of the end of a cigarette. This coupled with the fact that my partner at the time was expecting our first child was good enough incentive for me to finally quit for good.  To be perfectly honest I was a little apprehensive to attend one of the groups as this was new territory for me, hence why I put off attending on numerous occasions.

Many people had said to me, ‘you don’t need anyone else’s help you should have enough willpower to do it on your own.’ I must say that is not true because I really feel that I would never have quit if it wasn’t for all the tremendous support and help I received from Roy Castle FagEnds.

Some of the tips and advice I was given were so helpful.  I was told a number of facts, for example about how many chemicals are in a cigarette and how long it takes for carbon monoxide to leave your system.  I never knew half of the facts that the advisor was telling me. Just having someone there to support you is a valuable asset in any quit attempt.  This was so reassuring and uplifting to me in my quit attempt with the service and I feel I couldn’t have done it without their marvelous support and advice they gave me.

We all know about the health problems smoking causes and there are also the financial aspects as well.  Both of these played a key role for me wanting to quit for good and it was after this quit attempt that I ended up back at Roy Castle FagEnds not as a client but as an advisor.

I had worked as a bus driver for 12 years and as a taxi driver for four years and for me sixteen years of driving was quite enough.  I firmly believe that I was put on this planet to be a people’s person but I lacked the belief to think I could do any other job. However, I plucked up the courage to apply for a job the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

My ex mother-in-law, whom I still visit, was diagnosed with cancer some years earlier and is now gladly in remission.  She felt I had helped her through her terrible ordeal and without me she doesn’t know if she would have made it. It was a phone call I received from her to tell me to apply for the post at Roy Castle FagEnds because she felt I was a great listener and motivator of people and that would be a great attribute for the post. 

Until then I felt I maybe never had enough qualifications for the job.  Fate prevailed and I was successful with my application for the post of Stop Smoking Advisor.  Three years and six months later I am still working for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and I am just as enthusiastic about my job now as I was when I first joined the organisation.  In fact I have a great sense of satisfaction when I have a client who quits.  I thrive on challenges especially difficult clients who find it extremely hard to quit.  I find this a very rewarding part of the job.

I just hope that some of the help, advice and support that I received four years ago is being relayed to my clients who come into the service.  That coupled with my own experiences of my quit attempt being passed on to help others and long may it continue".