Eileen Hooson 1928-2007- Innocent Victim Of Secondhand Smoking

My beloved mother died at home yesterday after suffering from years of respiratory problems mainly as a result of the secondhand smoking at her workplace. My mother never smoked a day in her life, but the tobacco industry and the rudeness of smokers caused her first acute asthma and finally severe emphysema, where she suffered for years with only a reduced to 30% lung capacity. A smoker with a lung cancer that has a lung removed has at least 50% lung capacity by comparison.

After her retirement from work, my mother's lung problems continued to eat more and more into her retirement finances and enjoyment both. Most recently it cost her $800 a month in just medicine costs alone just to remain alive in uncomfortable condition.

Tobacco companies who promote serious health problems and deaths of nonusers of their products are nothing short of being cold-blooded murderers. Their greed for the almighty dollar and the rudeness of those who choose to smoke in public places and inflict serious harm on nonusers of cigarettes all deserve to share much blame.

Nonuser victims of the tobacco industry need to continue to push government for protection from secondhand smoke and demand that normal EPA clean air rules apply to the illegal and toxic air pollution from cigarettes, and nonuser victims should also consider efforts to sue both the tobacco companies and retailers of cigarettes to pressure them to clean up their act and stop this illegal air pollution business that kills many nonsmokers each and every day.

My mother was a very loving and decent woman. I'm happy to share much of her looks and much of her intelligence instincts. When my loving father, who passed away in late July from a massive stroke, and my loving mother conceived me, they shared some great traits with me that I'm very grateful to both of them. God bless both of my parents who are now residents of God's kingdom. I'll miss you both terriby.