LONDON (djc) — Supermodel Christy Turlington has announced that she is suffering from early-stage emphysema, despite the fact that she gave up smoking over five years ago. Christy Turlington is
currently appearing on TV screens in a new advertisement for the UK Department of Health’s NHS Smoking Helpline (+44 0800 169 0 169).
“I am 31. I smoked years ago and I have early-stage emphysema. I’ve only
just got the results of the test and I have to go back in a year for
more tests,” said Christy. “Generally they don’t make this kind of
discovery until you are much older. The really frightening thing is that
there was enough of an effect from my smoking that it caused permanent
damage.”
“Emphysema is one of the UK’s biggest killers and severely effects
quality of life. People often believe that it only affects people in old
age, but it can actually be diagnosed in people much younger than that,”
said a spokesperson from the British Lung Foundation. “In emphysema, the
alveoli in the lungs are gradually destroyed so people have difficulty
absorbing enough oxygen. The airways are also effected in this condition
and can cause anything from mild to severe shortness of breath.”
The discovery was made when Christy volunteered herself for a new
scanning technique at Weill Medical Centre, New York, to raise awareness
for the new technology. Christy hopes that her announcement will make
smokers and teenagers, susceptible to peer pressure, to realise the
damage that smoking can do.
Christy gave up cigarettes three years before her father, Dwain
Turlington, died of smoking related lung cancer in 1997. Since his death
Christy has been a passionate anti-smoking campaigner and works very
closely with Cancer charities and on related initiatives across the USA.
Christy’s new advertisement for the NHS Smoking Helpline forms part of a
series of testimonials from victims, or relatives of victims, suffering
from smoking related illnesses. These advertisements highlight the grief
and loss felt by family and friends and will encourage smokers not to
stop trying to give up; this is reflected in the campaign’s strapline:
`Don’t give up giving up’.
