Brian H.’s Story

Brian H.’s Biography

Brian grew up in Chicago. Both of his parents smoked. Brian started smoking at a young age, and by the time he was in 8th grade, he was smoking a pack of cigarettes each day. “My parents found out that I was smoking when I was 12, but that didn’t stop me,” he said.

At age 19, Brian joined the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to work at a military base in California. He soon fell in love and married his sweetheart, Denise. Brian had many responsibilities as a master sergeant in the Air Force. As a result, he struggled with job stress and often smoked cigarettes to cope.

One morning, while stationed in England, Brian had chest pains while walking at work. He was out of breath and sweating, and the pain became intense and worsened. Suddenly, he collapsed. Brian was having a heart attack at age 35. The next day, he had an angioplasty—a procedure in which a surgeon uses a balloon-like device to open up a blocked blood vessel. Denise flew overseas immediately to be by her husband’s side.

Brian slowly regained his strength but kept smoking. “The moment I walked out of the hospital, I started sneaking cigarettes again,” he said.

While on leave after his heart attack, Brian had more chest pains. He was admitted to an Air Force hospital in San Antonio, where he was diagnosed with a serious arrhythmia—an irregular heartbeat that can be life threatening. Brian underwent surgery to have a defibrillator put in his chest. A defibrillator is a device that helps regulate abnormal heartbeats.

Denise quit her job to care for Brian full-time. She took over responsibility for everything, from coordinating his medical care to managing their household. “I owe my life to her; literally, not figuratively,” Brain said.

Brian had several surgeries over the years for heart problems related to smoking. Eventually, his doctor told him that his heart was so damaged that he needed a transplant. This would be the beginning of a long and difficult journey for Brian and his family. Brian understood that not everybody who needs a transplant is able to get one, but he hoped that he would be one of the lucky ones.

In 2000, Brian was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition often caused by smoking or secondhand smoke exposure that makes it harder and harder to breathe and can cause death.

In 2007, Brian’s name was added to a national heart transplant waiting list. He and his family were thrilled. But that feeling didn’t last long. One evening, Brian’s doctor called with some bad news. Brian’s name had been removed from the transplant list. The reason? Brian’s lab results had showed that he still smoking. “It was caught in a routine blood test for nicotine exposure,” he said. Brian and Denise were devastated.

Brian had run out of treatment options, and his health was getting worse. He was determined to quit smoking so that he could have a chance to live. In the spring of 2009, Brian joined a smoking cessation class in a military hospital and quit smoking for good. “I did everything they told me to do, and I never looked back,” he said.

Because he remained smokefree, he eventually was put back on the list for a heart transplant. In 2012, Brian received a long-awaited heart transplant. He was hopeful, but he understood the seriousness of the surgery. “They told me that a heart transplant is not a cure,” Brian said.

The years of smoking continued to affect his body. In 2017, at age 63, Brian was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had surgery to remove part of his lung.

Brian was determined not to let smoking-related health issues keep him from living fully and doing the things he loved. He kept a positive outlook. “Every day is a gift to spend time with my wife and grandkids,” he said. Brian died in 2022 at age 68 after suffering from smoking-related health problems for more than 30 years.

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