Robert Jenkins: A Proud Quitter
When Robert Jenkins came into UNC Health Care System’s Tobacco Free Tar Heels (TFTH) program, he had been smoking since he was 15 years old (“too long,” he said). Like…
Tobacco Treatment Program Success Stories
Our program participants love to share how the UNC Tobacco Treatment Program helped them become tobacco free. You could be next!
Lana Simons: Proud of her Accomplishment
Lana Simons, a Chapel Hill Transit employee, has been tobacco free for 2½ years! She says it’s a “nicer way to live,” not having cigarettes as part of her life,…
Erin Barringer: My Reason for Quitting
Erin Barringer, a nursing assistant in the Neurosciences Hospital, began smoking socially in 10th grade, and over the years she increased her smoking to one-half pack of cigarettes a day….
Paul Moss: Being Tobacco Free Saves $5 a Day
Paul Moss, Fire Captain, joined the Wellness at Work Tobacco Cessation Program in June, 2012, and was able to quit smoking shortly thereafter. At the time, he was smoking a…
Joe Manginelli: Q and A about Quitting
After smoking for more than 40 years, with a brief three-year smoke-free period, Joe Manginelli, a Patient Business Associate at UNC Hospitals Spine and Imaging Center, had his last cigarette…
Martha Killough: “Not Smoking Has Set Me Free”
If you are a smoker or are close to someone who is, you may have found that smoking can impact relationships. Martha Killough, an outpatient coordinator in the N.C. Cancer…
Corey Peavler: Using strategies & medication to remain tobacco free
By Jazmyne Jones Most people start smoking in high school, and Corey Peavler was no exception. Around the age of 16, Corey lit his first cigarette. Several factors led to…
Howard Sutton–Poet in Motion
Howard Sutton, clinical support technician in the Department of Anesthesia, enrolled in the Tobacco Free Tar Heels program three years ago. Today he is tobacco free. When Howard Sutton enrolled…
Tommy Hawkins: “I wish I never started smoking”
Tommy Hawkins, Bus Mechanic #1, had already quit smoking for a month when he contacted the Wellness@Work Tobacco Cessation program. Like many people, he started to smoke at a young…
Nancy DePalma: “Sick and tired” of being held captive by her cigarette addiction
When Nancy DePalma found herself driving to the store over icy roads to buy cigarettes, or smoking butts she found in her ashtrays, she realized she had a problem. She was “sick…
Rebecca Langham: Smoke free means a lot more free time
When nursing assistant Rebecca Langham enrolled in UNC Health Care System’s Tobacco Free Tar Heels (TFTH) program, she had been smoking a pack of cigarettes daily since she was 16…
James Hammond: “I would encourage anyone that is smoking and having problems, to get in touch with UNC because you guys can do it.”
James Hammond had been wanting to quit smoking for a long time, but when he had smoking-related health issues, it “woke (him) up.” Mr. Hammond was a 2 pack-per-day smoker…
Ebony Carver Lawson: Freedom from Thinking About Smoking
Ebony joined the Tobacco Free Tar Heels program nearly two years ago. At that time, she had cut down on her smoking from more than a pack a day to…
Lonnie Harp: “Tobacco Doesn’t Have a Grip on Me Anymore”
Lonnie Harp, Town of Chapel Hill Firefighter, made several attempts to stop using smokeless tobacco. However, he found that each time he returned to his tobacco use, citing the enjoyment…
Rose Minton: It’s never to late to become tobacco free
Rose knew it was time to make a change regarding her tobacco use after experiencing a series of health issues, and after being encouraged to quit by her doctors at UNC….
Andy Colon: Motivated for Better Health
Andy Colon decided to quit his tobacco addiction and went all out to create a healthier lifestyle for himself. He changed the way he ate, exercised more and, of course,…
Jody Nash and Patti Roten: “I see many cancer patients at my job, and many of them smoke; I don’t want that to be me.”
Jody Nash and Patti Roten are sisters-in-law, and both are Administrative Associates at the UNC Cancer Hospital. They have a close relationship and decided to participate in the Tobacco Free Tar Heels…
Tim Kaiser: Continuing to smoke cigarettes meant he was gambling with his health
Tim Kaiser wanted to make some changes while he was still healthy. So he reached to the Tobacco Free Tar Heels Program for help with quitting and is now tobacco…
Bob Pendergraph: “If At First You Don’t Succeed, Quit Again”
Bob Pendergraph, an HVAC Mechanic who works in Plant Engineering, is a family man who enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, biking, and fishing. He realized that his smoking was preventing…
Tyron Edwards: “Just Tired of Smoking”
Tyron Edwards, or T.Y., as he is known, entered the Wellness @ Work Tobacco Free Employee Program soon after it begin in fall 2011. He smoked between 1–2 packs of…
Carol Battaglia: “No one size fits all strategy”
Smoking on and off since I was thirteen, I’d tried every trick in the book to stop. Every attempt ended in failure, whether it was stopping cold turkey or gradually…
John (Matt) Lawrence: Perseverance Pays Off
Matt Lawrence came to the Wellness@Work Program dipping a can of tobacco every day, having made multiple “practice attempts” without sustaining abstinence. He hated the control that tobacco exerted over…
Glenn Hair: Working with TTP was like having a gym partner
Glenn Hair started smoking when he was 12 years old and smoked up to two packs of cigarettes every day. He tried to quit smoking numerous times but always found an excuse for why it…
Lauren Ryan: Quitting for herself made the difference
Lauren Ryan (Chapel Hill Transit) started smoking socially in college and continued to smoke after graduation. Soon, Lauren married, and she and her husband planned to become pregnant. She quit…
Susan Hinson: “I can hang out with my grandchildren”
May 2, 2017 will mark two years of Susan Hinson’s quitting cigarettes, and is also the due date for her first grandchild! She feels excited about the baby’s arrival and…
Claudia Sibila: “A Positive Influence is Important”
Claudia Sibila, a medical interpreter in the Interpreter Services Department, did not realize how much her friends and family truly influenced her every day. “The people that surround you become…
Robb English: Proud to answer “No” when his doctor asked, “Do you use tobacco products?”
Robb English, the Aquatics Supervisor in Chapel Hill’s Parks and Recreation Department, dipped almost a can of tobacco a day when he came to the Wellness at Work Tobacco Free…