To the editor:

The following was my quit-smoking experience, which was actually quite simple: 10 percent willpower and 90 percent motivation. I smoked two cigarette packs a day for 31 years. Yes, I indeed had the habit.

In mid-winter 1975, my wife, Joyce, and I decided to visit our daughter and family. We drove from our residence in Concordia to Mars, Pa. Upon our arrival, I developed a serious chest congestion and made an appointment with their family doctor. He examined my chest, X-rayed my lungs and gave me some shocking news.

His first question was, “You smoke, don’t you?” I confirmed. His next statement was, “You realize what smoking does to your lungs.” And the last statement he made concerning the X-rays, which showed a couple of spots on my lungs set my mind whirling in every direction.

That night I dreamed I had inoperable lung cancer and died. And in my dream I was floating in mid-air looking down at my body in the coffin. My wife and our three children (Jan, Ron and Jeff) were standing beside the coffin giving me a lecture saying, “Dad, why did you smoke? Why didn’t you quit? You knew what smoking would do to your lungs,” and this went on and on.

Upon awaking in the morning I immediately threw my cigarettes in the trash. Needless to say, I have not smoked since that night. After having that hair-raising, nightmarish dream I was 100 percent motivated to quit.

If I hadn’t quit, I would not be celebrating (this coming January) our 63rd wedding anniversary, our son Ron’s birthday and my 87th birthday. I thank my guardian angel for that dream in 1975.

L. Jerome Joler,

Lawrence