Daughter's warning after fitness coach dad died from lung disease at 69

A family has opened up about their devastating journey of loss and hardship as they support a campaign that encourages people to give up smoking.

Denham Thomas, a former smoker who had a past as a fitness coach and bouncer, saw his world turned upside down by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which left him reliant on oxygen and confined to his home in his final years. His daughter Sadie Thomas, who was once a teenage boxing champ, spoke about the significant effect her dad's condition had on him and their family during her formative years.

She shared: "It massively affected him, and not just physically. He was an incredibly proud man, and when he became ill he lost so much of his confidence and it really depressed him. He was often concerned about what people would think about him. I can't actually remember him being well."

She continued, touching on the emotional burden: "Throughout my childhood it would really affect and upset me. It was really hard, there were times where he would say 'if I was well, I would be doing this with you'. Obviously I always knew that, but it would have been such a nice thing."

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Now, Sadie and her mum Debbie, from Hartlepool, are sharing their personal experiences as part of the 'Smoking Survivors' advertising campaign. The initiative is led by Fresh, the regional campaign group backed by local councils and the NHS across the North East, aiming to highlight the risks associated with smoking, as reported by Chronicle Live, reports Teesside Live.

She said: "Now it's difficult too, how do I explain to my daughter why her other granddad isn't here? We still feel the consequences of this illness. He died almost three years ago and it' something we have to live with."

Sadie added: "It's the case that you don't think this will happen to you. No-one does - but the reality is that it very much might do."

Diagnosed with COPD in his mid-50s, Denham became homebound, reliant on an oxygen line for survival, yet he managed to quit smoking a victory he used as a platform to support anti-smoking initiatives like Fresh's "Every Breath" campaign in conjunction with the British Lung Foundation.

Denham's wife Debbie said: "Smoking changed Denham's life completely, and it changed all our lives. It is so terribly sad thinking of all the things he missed out on. I first met Denham when he'd just been diagnosed with COPD. At the time, he was still a physically active man and was able to go to work as normal. He'd just have to do things that little bit slower as he would get out of breath really quickly. That was the first sign."

"His health deteriorated and it was heart-breaking to watch him get worse over the years. He would have panic attacks."

"Nothing can prepare you for how frightening it is to see someone close to you struggling to breathe. It was such an awful experience because whilst he was gasping for every breath and his lips going blue, all I could do was watch because if I tried to help it would only make the situation worse."

Debbie also spoke about the shift in their relationship due to his illness: "We stopped being able to go out as a couple anymore and had to plan everything around making sure his oxygen cylinder was full even before stepping out the front door."

She added: "When I looked at him sitting in his wheelchair struggling to breathe, it was hard to believe he was once a strong young man who loved his sports. He got depressed and I could see in his eyes how angry he was at what smoking did to him."

Amanda Healy, Chair of the Association of Directors of Public Health in the North East, weighed in on the issue: "Partners across the North East have been working tirelessly to reduce smoking rates and it's been so good to see our overall rate has more than halved over the last 20 years. Campaigns like this which raise awareness of the harm of smoking and benefits of quitting reach across generations and encourage people to stop and stay stopped, or not to smoke in the first place."

Dr Neil O'Brien, chief medical officer for the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: "Smoking is one of the biggest causes of ill health and early death in our region which is why we have set a goal to reduce rates of smoking to 5% or below by 2030. Ultimately, we want to see an end to the death and disease from tobacco smoking across our region."

"As a GP I see first-hand the devastating effects smoking has on the health of my patients and the impact it has on their loved ones too. I would like to say thank you to all those who are sharing their own personal stories which I hope will inspire many others to quit smoking. It's never too late to quit and there's lots of support out there to help you or a loved one take your first steps on that journey."