Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Debi Austin Anti Smoking Advocate Passes Away At 62

This is Deborah "Debi" Austin.  She was the lady who smoked through a hole in her throat and talked about smoking being addictive.  Remember her?  I know I do!

"They say nicotine isn't addictive." She says right before taking a drag!

Here's the best part of her thought process prior to agreeing to do the commercial which I found on laist.com:

"Do I want to stand up in front of the entire state and tell them that I lost my voice because I couldn't control my addiction? I don't think so."
When I read that, I knew it had to part of my blog.  That's the whole purpose of my book, How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone.  It's to get control of your addiction.  I hated being under the influence of a controlled substance and that I literally had to schedule my day, my week, my LIFE around cigarettes.  Fuh-get-about-it!

I took back control and believe or not, so did Debi.  She died in the non-smoking section.  Below is a video where you can see her warrior spirit and her valor.  She was a 2-3 pack a day smoker who started when she was 13.  While living with cancer for 20 years, Debi became a person who, in her cut short life, courageously and selflessly saved countless lives and inspired a multitude to take back control of their addiction.  Make sure you watch the whole thing because the end is the most powerful part.