Scot who smoked while watching dad die of lung cancer backs calls for 'smoke free' Scotland
"I realised then that if I didn't stop smoking, I would end up in the same position as my dad"
A Scot who took up smoking at the age of just 13 - and continued despite watching his dad die from lung cancer - has backed calls for Scotland to become "smoke-free".
Gower Tan took up the habit while he was still at school. And he is now campaigning for an end to the harms caused by tobacco, and supporting the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
This afternoon MSPs voted to back UK legislation which aims to create a "smoke-free generation", with a minister hailing it as a "landmark" law.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is UK-wide legislation which would create a 'smoke-free generation' by banning tobacco products for anyone born after January 1, 2009.
It would also bring in restrictions on the advertising and sale of vapes, as well as reviewing the packaging of e-cigarettes. Gower was among the campaigners gathered at the Scottish Parliament.
The 55-year-old, of Glasgow, supports a team of dedicated Cancer Research UK volunteers in Scotland who have been campaigning for an end to tobacco harms, Glasgow Live reports.
He said: "It wasn't long after taking up smoking as a teenager that I realised I was smoking not through choice but addiction. I wanted to quit not long after I started. But it was incredibly difficult.
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"I was only able to do so in the end at the age of 40 and with the expert help of a smoking cessation service. Even as I watched dad die from his lung cancer, without thinking, I stepped out into the garden and lit up a cigarette.
"I realised then that if I didn't stop smoking, I would end up in the same position as my dad – dying from lung cancer. I was scared my children would have to go through the same thing, to watch me die from lung cancer. Despite repeated attempts, I couldn't quit."
Gower's dad Michael, who grew up in Glasgow, also started smoking as a young teenager at Kelvinside Academy. He sadly died at the age of 66.
Gower recalled: "I can still picture the thick haze of smoke in our living room. I can see the stacks of cigarette cards dad would collect with every purchase piled up in rubber bands in our dining room sideboard.
"I would also go on to collect the cards inserted in each packet of cigarettes I smoked. Trapped in a toxic loyalty scheme, I'd swap the cards in for household items, including two silver candle holders I gifted to my mum.
"The irony is I was also trading in years of my life. Secretly smoking in the garden, I knew things needed to change. I was no longer the fit, sporty kid I used to be.
"A common cold would knock me out for weeks. Worse still, my children Olivia and Will were old enough to start piecing together my habit.
"Anyone who has grappled with addiction will understand that the years which followed were far from easy. What came next was a constant battle: gum, patches, pills, a hypnotherapy session that was over before it began.
"My brother later recommended a stop smoking service, which I put off again and again, until years of denial resulted in a 30 second call that changed my life. The hardest part was picking up the phone."
Almost 15 years on from quitting smoking, Gower is dedicated to campaigning for an end to the harms caused by tobacco. Today's debate and vote in the Scottish Parliament will pave the way for legal cigarette sales to be phased out for good.
Gower said: "When I look back to the day my dad died, I no longer feel guilt. It was the spark – not just of that cigarette, but of my journey to quit. That moment spurred me to cut ties with a product that was stripping away my health.
"Our politicians now have the chance to protect the nation's health – and raising the age of sale for tobacco would help do just that. This historic legislation will mean that my children's children will never be able to legally be sold cigarettes.
"When it comes to saving lives and making avoidable deaths like my dad's a distant memory, we can't afford complacency. If we've got the chance to stub out smoking for good, we must take it."
Once the Bill has completed its journey through the House of Lords and receives Royal Assent, it can become law in Scotland. Following the vote Gower said: "What a gift for future generations".
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