'I hated smoking so much growing up': Wigan dad calls for support for proposed tobacco sales law

Damian Fish, from Up Holland, lost his mum Domini Fish to lung cancer in 2011, less than a year after being diagnosed with the disease.

The dad-of-two is now urging MPs to back a proposed law to raise the age of sale of tobacco.

Analysis by Cancer Research UK estimates up to 1.1m fewer cigarettes will be smoked in the North West each day by 2040, if the legislation is implemented.

It would raise the age of sale of tobacco products in England by one year every year, meaning anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be able to buy cigarettes.

The legislation, introduced to Parliament on Thursday, is heading towards a crucial vote later this spring.

Damian previously took part in Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Research UK as his family has been so affected by the disease.

He received a phone call while on holiday saying he needed to speak to his parents urgently and discovered his mum had been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer.

She kicked the habit in 2004, when her four-year-old grandson saw her smoking in the garden and insisted she would die, but the damage had already been done.

The 67-year-old faced chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, but died in 2011, just 11 months after the diagnosis.

Damian, who served in the Army for 22 years, said: “When my sister phoned me on holiday saying I needed to speak to my parents urgently, I thought maybe they had won the lottery, but my mum had been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer.

“My mum was a loving and caring woman who was very family-orientated and doted on her grandchildren. She gave up smoking when she was shocked into it by her grandson and then just a week later she suffered a heart attack. While she recovered from the heart attack, the damage from so many years of heavy smoking had taken its toll.

“I hated smoking so much growing up that I wrote to the Prime Minister asking for it to be banned and actually received a very nice response!

“My mum’s absence clouds every birthday, celebration or special occasion – not to mention all the ordinary, everyday moments we’ve missed out on enjoying together.

“Smoking is a deadly addiction and, like my mum, most people who smoke start when they are young and regret ever picking up a cigarette. I know she would back raising the age of sale of tobacco 100 per cent.

“I would appeal to everyone to use their democratic right to have a voice. The upcoming vote is a critical milestone towards ending the devastating effects of smoking, which has caused nothing but pain for us. For the sake of future generations we must do everything we can to make sure MPs get this over the line.”

Damian is urging people to email their MP and encourage them to vote in favour of the legislation at cruk.org/SmokefreeGeneration.

Cancer Research UK’s North West spokesperson Jane Bullock said: “The biggest cause of cancer has no place in our future. As our analysis suggests, fast-forward to 2040, and the statistics could tell a very different story. Up to 1.1m fewer cigarettes smoked each day would mean more people living longer, healthier lives, free from the fear of cancer.

“We’re grateful to Damian for sharing his mum’s heartbreaking story. Nothing would have a bigger impact on reducing the number of preventable deaths in the region than ending smoking. So, we must make sure our MPs are behind this critically important Age of Sale legislation. Together, we can make a smoke-free generation a reality.”