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YV Introduction
Barb Tarbox finishes her presentation in diagnosis, she recalls telling the doctor,
Focus a gymnasium packed with high school I dont even have a cough. The doctor
Barb Tarbox, a 41
students and waits for one-on-one said, Fifty per cent of lung cancer
year- old former
model and lifelong questions from students with the cour- victims have zero symptoms, and 50 per
smoker from age to approach her. The effects of cent of lung cancer patients at diagnosis
Edmonton, was cancer are clear. She has lost her hair. are terminal, stage four. Youre dying.
diagnosed with She is quite thin and she looks fragile. With this dire reality staring her in
lung cancer in the One 17-year-old boy approaches her, the face, Tarbox gained the courage to
fall of 2001. Shortly
after her diagnosis
crumples his pack of cigarettes and help others to avoid her fate. Working
she made it her places it in her hand. He vows never to with Tracy Mueller, Tarbox began
mission to turn as smoke again. Youre going to make accepting invitations to speak at
many young people it, says Tarbox. Edmonton-area schools. She fashioned
as possible away Some have described her as the anti- her presentations on the blunt recogni-
from smoking. This
smoking lobbys most powerful tion of her own mistakes and the effects
News in Review
story focuses on the weapon. Since being diagnosed with of cancer on her body. You are look-
heroic crusade of stage-four terminal lung cancer, Tarbox ing at the worlds biggest idiot, she
Barb Tarbox as well has made it her mission to convince as tells students. She recalls beginning
as the current state many teens as possible to say no to smoking at the end of grade 6 and,
of the anti-smoking smoking. Working with her best friend despite getting violently ill after her
war in Canada.
Tracy Mueller, Tarbox has spoken to first puffs, maintaining the habit to fit in
over 15 000 high school students, with the cool kids. By grade 9, Tarbox
YV Sections mostly in her home province of Alberta. was smoking a pack a day. By grade 10,
marked with this Tarbox hopes to reach 50 000 students the cool kids were no longer cool and
symbol indicate before she dies. Tarbox was addicted to nicotine. She
content suitable for It is the candour and honesty of encourages teenagers to avoid the
younger viewers.
Tarboxs message that has hit home trappings of labels like cool or the in
with those who attend her presentations. crowd. Instead, she encourages them
You cant get this Tarbox describes how she lost her to foster a sense of self-confidence and
kind of pain. Its mother when she was 21. Her mother pleads with them to learn from her
just not worth the smoked for 40 years before being example.
cigarettes. You
have to quit smok-
diagnosed with lung cancer. One of the Tarboxs message also focuses on the
ing. Barbara oncologists (cancer specialists) working physical dimension of living with lung
Tarbox with her mother asked Barb Tarbox if cancer. She tells students how the
she was a smoker. When he heard the cancerous tumours have spread through
answer, he said, You have to quit or her body. She speaks of the way cancer
Im going to see you here in 20 years. has started to slur her speech and disfig-
Nineteen years later, Tarbox was ure her body. Look at my arms, she
shocked to learn that she had terminal says. I dont know if you can see it but
lung cancer. She recalls making excuses its where the bones stick out. You
for not quitting smoking at the time of know what? The bones stick out of
her mothers death, thinking that they every area of my body now. My feet,
would find a cure for cancer before she my legs are blue, or they like to call it
would need to quit. Upon receiving her cyanotic, which is like a purple tinge.
To Consider
1. Why do you think some people refer to Barb Tarbox as the anti-
smoking lobbys greatest weapon?
2. What warnings did Tarbox get that indicated that she needed to quit
smoking?
3. Why do you think it was very hard for Tarbox to quit smoking?
4. What does Tarbox think has been giving her the strength to live longer
than anyone expected?
Reflection
Imagine having to say goodbye to someone you love. Imagine you are never
going to see them again. Write a 250-500 word letter to that person, telling
them how much you care for them and how much you are going to miss
them.
6. Describe the reactions of some of the people interviewed near the end
of the video.
8. (For current smokers only) What impact has Barbara Tarboxs message
had on you? Be specific.
Test Yourself!
To get an indica-
tion of how much 1. When you smoke a cigarette, its like inhaling car exhaust.
you know about True _____ False ______
the effects of
smoking, try this 2. Youll find cyanide, formaldehyde, and toilet bowl cleaner in cigarettes.
Health Canada True ______ False ______
quiz. The answers
may surprise you. 3. Tobacco can be harder to quit than heroin or cocaine.
True ______ False ______
7. If you are taking birth control pills, smoking will increase your chances
for serious heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.
True ______ False ______
11. Red blood cells carry oxygen through your body. By how much does
carbon monoxide found in cigarettes reduce red blood cells ability to
perform this task?
a. 2 per cent
b. 6 per cent
c. 12 per cent
d. 28 per cent
Questions
1. How well did you do on the quiz? Which answers surprised you?
Explain.
2. If smoking is so bad for peoples health, why do you think they start
to smoke in the first place?
3. Which factor has influenced the smokers that you know personally
(including possibly, yourself).
Questions
1. Why is showing a character smoking in a movie considered an effective
marketing strategy for tobacco companies?
2. Think of your top 10 favourite movies and fill in the following chart:
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No
3. What do the results of your survey indicate? Were there any surprises?
5. Smoke Free Movies is pushing to have any movie that shows characters
smoking receive an R or restricted rating. Do you agree with this
idea? Explain your answer.
Questions
1. Do you think that Canadian governments are doing enough in the
battle against smoking? What more could they be doing?
Follow-up Activity
1. Go to www.hc-cs.gc.ca/hecs-secs/tobacco/youth/scooplabels.html. Take
a look at the warning labels that appear on cigarette packages. What
is your reaction to the pictures? Which labels do you think are most
powerful? Do you think that the labelling of cigarette packages is an
effective way to get people to quit smoking? Explain.
Questions
1. Former Health Minister Allan Rock said, Canadian companies, just like
American companies, have been manipulating people, have been
doing research to focus on the young and to focus on people who
might want to quit smoking (cbc.ca/new/indepth/smoking/insider).
What evidence is there that tobacco companies are targeting young
people in their marketing? What techniques are they using to get
young people to smoke?
Extension
View the movie The Insider. Write a 200-250 word review of the movie
focusing on three scenes that had the greatest impact on you while you
watched the movie. Did the movie impact your view of smoking? Explain.
Health Canada identifies five steps in 4. Get on with ittry to quit. You may
Further Research the process of quitting smoking: want to practise quitting first by
For a more detailed
quitting for a few hours or a few
account of the
process of quitting, 1. Get psychedmotivate yourself to days. You may also want to turn to
go to: www.hc- quit; determine the benefits of quit- medications like nicotine gum or the
sc.gc.ca/hecs-secs/ ting and determine the things that patch. Whatever you decide, expect
tobacco/youth/ you value in life. quitting to be difficult because
quitting/ overcoming nicotine addiction is not
index.html. 2. Get smartfigure out why you an easy task.
smoke; track the amount of smoking
you do in a day and figure out the 5. Quit for lifemake a commitment to
Note to Teachers negative consequences of smoking. quit for life.
Educational materi-
als from Lungs for 3. Get supportask for the support of
Life can be
your friends, family, or doctor in
downloaded at
www.on.lung.ca or your effort to quit; find a friend to
ordered by calling quit with you or to hold you account-
1-800-972-2636. able for you effort to quit.
Quit smoking! Follow the steps suggested by Health Canada and try to quit
smoking. Report to your class, a teacher, or a guidance counsellor as a way
to make yourself accountable. Good luck.
OR
Create a poster series for your school encouraging your peers to quit smok-
ing. The Canadian Lung Association is promoting a program called Lungs for
Life that is heavy on the ick factor. In other words, your posters should
take the glamour out of smoking and show the gross or ugly side of the
smoking experience (lung cancer, yellow teeth, etc.).
OR