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TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2002

"When I was about 8 years old, one of my playmates who lived near us in Minot had two older sisters. The oldest was a high school senior, and we were in awe of her. She was like a movie star to us - beautiful and sophisticated. Sometimes when we were playing in their yard, we would see smoke wafting out of her bedroom window and we could smell the pungent odor of a cigarette. Whoa, that was cool, I thought. It was so grown up, and the cigarette added to her mystique.

“When I grow up,” I would say to myself as I stared up at the window, “I will smoke, too.”

And I did, for about three years. Then I quit for two years, then started again and quit again. That was about 14 years ago, but if I were to have another cigarette or two I believe I would take up the habit again. It is that addictive for me.

Quitting smoking was one of the most difficult things I have had to do in my life. . ."

Get the Story:
Dorreen Yellow Bird: Clearing the air about nonsmokers' rights (The Grand Forks Herald 4/30)

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