Watch Marcela’s Story

To watch Marcela’s story, click the image above.

Marcela is Romanian and lives in Doncaster. She smoked for 39 years. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and was receiving treatment, the medical staff and her GP would often ask her about stopping smoking. She had previously tried to quit smoking, but when they provided her with leaflets about the free local support available, she decided to find out more.

“When I smoked, I felt like I was held captive; I only saw cigarettes. Now I don’t smoke anymore, I feel like a free person.”

When she first spoke with an advisor, they suggested she would be able to quit in 6 weeks. She didn’t believe that could be possible, but within one month, she knew that she could do it. She has now been quit for over two years. She didn’t find language to be a barrier, despite speaking only a small amount of English. She found the help and support really practical and helpful, and it didn’t prevent her from achieving her goal of stopping smoking.

“I talked to my advisor and told her everything about myself. She translated information for me. She treated me like I was important. She was patient, spoke to me very kindly and with empathy.” 

After being given options to choose from, Marcela was given a prescription for patches, an inhaler and lozenges to help her cut down gradually over 4 weeks. Every week, she would visit her advisor in person, where they would measure carbon monoxide levels. Seeing the levels reduce kept her motivated and hopeful for the future.

Marcela finds it useful to reflect on how much money she spent on cigarettes and often finds herself talking to friends and family about how much she feels smoking impacted her health and wellbeing. She believes now that if she can quit smoking, anyone can.

“My life has changed so much. Whenever I feel a bit off or my mood is low, instead of smoking, I’ll have a coffee or listen to music or play with my cat outside in the garden. I feel like a new me – calm and peaceful.”