After 13 years of service as a Support Worker at Pacific Homecare, June Salele’a dedicated some of her energy to another significant cause – and that, of course, is her effort to give up smoking! Through the help of Pacific Homecare’s Smoking Cessation Navigator, Sulu, June has kicked smoking to the curb successfully.
Tell us about your smoking journey.
“I am June Salele’a. Been working at Pacific Homecare for 13 years. Five kids, and seven grandkids, living in Manurewa for a long time. I started smoking at 14 years old. When I was in the islands. Yeah, I was still at school, hiding away from family members and mum and grandparents about my smoking.
So, it carried on when I had my husband. My husband can’t stop my smoking. I carried on my smoking until I got my kids. I think in 2001 or 2002 I stopped. But when I knew at that time that the kids are already grown up and their school was already fine and finished. Only my baby was at school at that time. But his school’s down the line, down in Otago. Yeah, but at that time I go back to [smoking]. It’s only about two packets of smokes I’d smoke weekly”.
When did you quit smoking?
“I think when someone from Pacific Homecare was talking to me because it was a hard time for me, I wanted to stop. Because it’s heaps of things. The life is expensive, I want to drink, I want to smoke…it’s too much money to spend for that. That’s why I want to give up smoking and save the money, for my fundraising to my Church, and bills to pay. These are the only things I worry about. My bills and my car and my house. Because my house is a mortgage, so I don’t want to lose my house because of the smoking and the beer so that’s why I want to give up smoking and buy the money”.
What has helped you to quit smoking?
“If I think about if I want to smoke. Because I didn’t put any patches on or any lollies, I just left it. But for my trust in God. Because sometimes it’s hard wanting to have a smoke. But the only thinking in my heart and in my mind is to God. Please God help me, help me. I declare the smoke; I don’t want the smoke anymore. Yeah, it’s the only thinking in my mind if the thinking of smoking becomes strong, so that’s the strong thing is my trust [in God]”.
Have you noticed any positive changes in your life since quitting smoking?
“It’s a good change because I can have spare time to sit down and do my work at home. Gardening”.
What advice do you have for those who want to/or are quitting smoking?
“You can do it! Why not. You can! You can do it if you put your trust then you can do it, you can stop [and] quit smoking”.
- If you would like to join our Smoking Cessation Programme, please contact Sulu at sulu-danielle.manuofetoa@pacifichomecare.org.nz or 0220196574.
- Support Smokefree May and International Smokefree Day by heading to www.smokefree.org.nz
