Salford Royal’s stop smoking team, known as CURE, treats patients to stop smoking during their hospital stay with personalised quit plans and stop smoking treatments.

Marie said: “I started smoking at the age of 14 and both my parents smoked. Sadly, I’ve lost both of them to cancer and I tried to quit numerous times over a 11-year period. I tried using different NRT including patches, lozenges and an inhalator but I always ended up relapsing.

“Then in December 2020, I had to have my gallbladder removed, and while I was in hospital, I was visited by the stop smoking service at Salford Royal and they changed everything. They have given me support since my operation and have provided me with patches.

“They have been extremely helpful and instrumental to me remaining smoke free. Together, we came round to the answer for me which was using a vape. I have had my wobbles but haven’t had a single puff of a cigarette. I’ve tried quitting several times using patches, but I have a history of using them and going back to smoking cigarettes, so this time I followed the advice of the Stop Smoking Service and used a vape as they said they could see me not going back to cigarettes.

“I know the difference to me was being able to talk it through with Salford Royal team and discuss smoking related issues. They always had my back. They have been fantastic and a great influence in me not smoking. I have other issues too and did try for ten and a half years to stop smoking without being successful, so I can’t thank them enough and will be forever in their debt.

“They are a lovely group of professional ladies and gents who made ‘the difference.’ They have always been really patient, dedicated, kind, warm, intelligent and are a lovely team of people you would be lucky to ever get to meet. They are genuinely dedicated, vocational, and professional and we are very lucky they work in the NHS. You can tell the professionals who are there just for the payslips, and I can categorically say that they see this as their vocation.

“Thanks to the team I am decreasing the strength of oil I use and in December it will be my two-year milestone of being smokefree, which is largely due to the stop smoking team at Salford Royal.

“I’m so happy I’ve stopped smoking and I don’t miss it at all. I feel so much healthier, and I’ve saved a lot of money. My advice to anyone considering quitting, is give it a go and never give up on giving up.”

*Not Marie’s real photo