In a text message, Tawny Fisher, a young woman from Reno, NV, asked her mother, "Hey Mom, How many retweets on Twitter for you to quit smoking?” “10,000,” her mother answered. Little did the mother know that just days later, over 24,000 people would retweet her daughter’s plea.
After telling her mother by text that she’d gotten 17,000 retweets, her mother answered, "Wow. I'm super proud of you. I love you, Daughter."
"So, you promise you're going to quit? You're not only promising me now, but you're promising over 20,000 people," Tawny responded. "Yes, Daughter. I will. I love you," her mother texted.
Tawny, who didn’t expect to get more than 100 retweets, was apprehensive but took up her mother’s challenge. After her mother’s conditions were met, Tawny announced, “Momma’s quitting.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, or about 1 in 5 deaths.
"In 2016, more than 15 of every 100 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older (15.5%) currently* smoked cigarettes. This means an estimated 37.8 million adults in the United States currently smoke cigarettes. More than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease."
Among the supporters who responded to Tawny’s tweet, one woman, Terry, wrote, “My mom passed at 63 because she loved to smoke. She missed seeing her grandchildren grow up and get married, just because she wouldn't/couldn't give them up. I am still furious that she ignored so many warning signs. Sorry for the rant.”
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Other Twitter users cheered Tawny’s mother on. Chris Kinnaird, wrote, “She can do it, I’ve been smoking since 13 now 58 I quit 8 weeks ago and don’t miss it one bit.”