One of many reminders of why I quit every day
On my 105th day quit I am met with the news that my coworker and friend of the last 4 years has two days to live. Kevin has been dipping since he was 15 and his choice of poison is Copenhagen snuff. A year ago he started having back pains and was losing weight rapidly so he got checked out by a doctor. The first diagnosis was diabetes and they put him on meds to counteract the disease. His condition didnÂ’t get much better and his back was still hurting so he went in for a second opinion. The new Dr. decided to do a full body x-ray and the result was a mass on the back side of his pancreas, biopsy turned out positive for cancer. The cancer tumor was also the reason for his diabetes.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. The median survival rate of pancreatic cancer is 9.5% and Kevin was on the low end because he was at stage 3 when they caught the tumor. Immediate sessions of high dose chemotherapy started that week. He kept a great attitude and stuck it out at work four days a week for the first 10 months, the pancreatic cancer was responding to the chemo and he was actually winning the battle or so we thought. About a month ago he stopped coming to work and I found out that the cancer spread to his brain and is inoperable.
Kevin dipped up until the last day I saw him at work and no one knows for sure but there is a high chance that the many years of dipping and gutting the spit played a large role in the formation of the pancreatic cancer. I told him all about my quit and the support group that has helped me break the bond with the poison we have been slaves to for so long. He told me that he wants to quit but couldnÂ’t handle it with everything else that was going on. I told him that the dip wasnÂ’t helping in any way and all he needs to do is make the decision to quit and we (KTC) will be with him every step of the way. The old saying you can lead a horse to water but you canÂ’t make him drink rang true like it does so often with us addicts. He is dipping on his death bed today and it is a disturbing reminder to me and hopefully many others that this deadly poison is just that, DEADLY!
Kevin will be survived by his wife, 19 year old daughter, and 4 year old son. My deepest sorrow and prayers go out to his family.
