Local media personality Dan Klein smoked cigarettes for 45 years, but he is proud to say he is finally kicking his more-than-a-pack-a-day habit with help from Shore Medical Center’s Tobacco Treatment Program.

After his first physical exam in 40 years, Dan’s doctor told him he needed to quit for his health. Like many smokers, Dan knew the dangers of cigarettes but couldn’t figure out a way to stop doing something that was so deeply ingrained in his daily routine, even though his own father died from lung cancer likely as a result of smoking.

In February, Dan enrolled in Shore Medical Center’s Tobacco Treatment Program. Stephanie Bordonaro, MAS, CSW, Shore’s Tobacco Treatment Specialist, worked with Dan to develop a custom treatment program that works for him. Through counseling and nicotine replacement products, Dan has been able to successfully change his behaviors to avoid triggers and is now weaning off of his nicotine inhaler.

While on the radio, Dan’s voice has the power to inspire others, something he has fully embraced while going through the smoking cessation program. He shares with his listeners what the program is like, what challenges he faces, and how much better he feels now that he has quit.

Not only is Dan impacting his listeners, he also agreed to share his story with The Press of Atlantic City, which ran a feature on him in their Saturday, July 22 issue. As a result of Dan’s story, the Tobacco Prevention Program has seen a major uptick in calls from people interested in quitting.

According to the Press article, Dan said his entire family is ecstatic about his success because, “after 40 years of people seeing you with a cigarette, they think it’s a part of you.”

Benefits of Quitting:
Ironically enough, Klein has been an athlete his entire life, and running is one of his passions. His runs used to begin with an initial bout of wheezing, but when he went for his first run after quitting, Dan said “…my breathing was so much cleaner and clearer. The energy has been unbelievable.”

Here are some startling facts about how your body changes once you quit:

• Within 72 hours: Bronchial Tubes relax; Lung capacity increases
• Within 2 weeks to 3 months: Lung function increases up to 30 percent
• Within 1 to 9 months: Coughing and shortness of breath decreases; Cilia re-grow in the lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce infection
• Within 5 years: Precancerous cells are replaced with normal cells

Of course, quitting smoking also frees tobacco users from the financial burden of smoking. For example, if you started smoking a pack-and-a-half today and continued for the next 40 years, with the price of cigarettes remaining constant, you would spend a staggering $175,000! Just imagine what you could do with that kind of money.

Tobacco users receiving tobacco treatment counseling are more than four times as likely to succeed in stopping tobacco use. If you are serious about quitting smoking and would like help from Shore Medical Center’s Tobacco Prevention & Treatment Program, call 609-653-3440.  Individual counseling sessions with a Tobacco Treatment Specialist are available fee-for-service, with financial assistance for those who qualify. 

Free telephone counseling is also available by calling the New Jersey Quitline at 1-866-657-8677.