Michael's Videos

Michael, who is in his 50s, has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) —a condition caused by smoking—that makes it harder and harder to breathe. In this TV commercial from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers^® campaign, Michael offers a tip that if your doctor gives you 5 years to live, like his doctor did, spend it sharing your wisdom and love with your children and grandchildren so they have something to remember you by.

Michael, an Alaska Native, was shocked when doctors found serious lung damage from smoking. He was only 44. In this video, Michael talks about living in constant fear. Smoking gave him COPD, a disease that makes it harder and harder to breathe. He says, “If I get the flu, I can die.”

Michael suffers from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which makes it harder for a person to breathe and can cause death. In this video from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers campaign, Michael talks about how he wishes he had never started smoking, and the damage it caused to his lungs. He describes waking up one morning unable to breathe and having to go to the hospital. He also talks about the pain his condition has brought to his family.

Michael started smoking at age 9, when his sister gave him his first cigarette. In this video, he talks about getting addicted as a child. By age 44, he had a serious lung disease. He says, “It’s my desire that… you won’t come to this place…”