“It’s never too late to stop smoking”: Bryan’s experience

Bryan Hoyle first started smoking when he was seven years old, after being given the odd cigarette by older friends. Soon, he was buying them himself and for 58 years, he smoked up to 25 cigarettes a day.

While he had previously attempted to quit numerous times, Bryan struggled to stay smokefree without support. In his twenties, he managed to stop smoking for three years but turned back to cigarettes during a difficult time.

“My son was in critical condition at hospital, and I was preparing myself for the worst, waiting to hear if he was going to pull through.” Bryan said. “I felt completely useless. I bought a packet of cigarettes without even thinking.”

In later years, after experiencing a heart attack, he tried switching to nicotine patches but found they didn’t work for him.

Even though he was aware of the health risks associated with smoking tobacco, no one told him about the benefits of quitting. Bryan was diagnosed with COPD, but he didn’t know how not smoking could help.

However, as his health continued to deteriorate, Bryan began to question his thinking.

“My attitude towards smoking has always been ‘my life, my body’, regardless of the situation,” he explained. “I still see myself as a young man, but time is catching up with me now."

In July 2024, Bryan’s respiratory nurse asked him if he would consider quitting and Bryan knew this was the perfect opportunity to give it another go.

She referred him to the NHS Yorkshire Smokefree Service in Calderdale, who called him that evening to book his first appointment.

The NHS Yorkshire Smokefree service provides support to anyone across South and West Yorkshire who wants to stop using tobacco. The service offers guidance on stop smoking products and a range of resources to suit a person’s needs.

In his first appointment, Bryan was given a choice of stop smoking aids. As he had not been successful using nicotine patches previously, he decided to try a vaping product. His stop smoking advisor explained this was part of a NHS Yorkshire Smokefree vaping pilot, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Eight days after the referral from his respiratory nurse, Bryan experienced his first day with no cigarettes in over 40 years and has not smoked since.

“Cigarettes have always controlled me. Now, it’s like a switch in my brain has been turned off and I’m able to deal with what’s controlled me for all these years.”

Since quitting, Bryan has seen huge improvements in his breathing and his sleep, as well as his fitness.

Several friends and family members of Bryan who have seen the changes in him firsthand are now thinking about quitting through a stop smoking service too.

“No matter how long you have been smoking for, with the help of a specialist service you’re never too old to stop. If I can do it after nearly 60 years of smoking, anyone can.”

“Just as nicotine patches weren’t for me, I know vaping products don’t suit everyone, and that’s ok. Even if you’ve tried quitting before and it hasn’t worked, with the right support you can swap to the right stop smoking aid for you. I’m so grateful to both NHS Yorkshire Smokefree and Yorkshire Cancer Research for giving me that option.”

Find out more about stop smoking and the services Yorkshire Cancer Research funds: