Why I ride...

Today I added the name of Jim Bryan to the list of people whose stories I will carry with me on Big Ride Alaska. Jim started smoking when he was eleven years old and quit in his early 60s. Now at 78, emphysema makes it difficult for him to walk from his chair to the bathroom.

It's easy to assume that kids started smoking "in those days" because they didn't know about the dangers of nicotine. But, consider this: even today, fifty-five young people in Washington State become lifelong smokers every day. The average age of a youngster who picks up that first cigarette is twelve. Nationwide, tobacco causes more deaths than cocaine, heroin, alcohol, homicide, suicide, traffic accidents, fires and AIDS combined.

The American Lung Association has developed impressive programs to prevent young people from starting to smoke and to help them quit if they already smoke. This is one of the reasons I ride for the American Lung Association.