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Springfield Student Fights Big Tobacco
Mar 23, 2011
22 News WWLP
March 23, 2011
BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - A Springfield High School student is leading nearly 300 youth from across the state to join lawmakers and health advocates to “kick some butt.”
“Kick Butts Day” is a national celebration to empower youth – a chance to speak out and say no to Big Tobacco.
Tiffany Farrell is a senior at Springfield High School of Commerce and a secondhand smoke survivor. About three years ago, she was hospitalized after secondhand smoke triggered a severe asthma attack that developed into carbon dioxide poisoning and exacerbated an existing case of walking pneumonia.
“It was just one of the worst experiences of my life,” said Tiffany. “I don’t smoke, I don’t participate in it and I’m still being affected so negatively.”
After weeks of respiratory therapy, Tiffany recovered and the experience inspired her to be a youth leader. On Wednesday, she led a rally and asked lawmakers to do more to protect young people from targeted tobacco campaigns.
“[Tobacco companies] make [tobacco] products very colorful and they make them in flavors,” said Tiffany. “They're making them to resemble candies that children eat.”
Tiffany says the tobacco industry also targets minority and poor communities, which drove her further into community activism. Today she’s being awarded the 84 Statewide Youth Leadership Award in recognition of her work.
“People like Tiffany and others are heroic in terms of their speaking out, working with their peers, working with their parents and effecting policy makers like those of us at the Department of Health and legislators to really make an important difference,” said Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach.
Event organizers say tobacco use kills 9,000 people and costs over $3 billion dollars in health care bills each year in Massachusetts.
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/politics/Springfield-student-fights-Big-Tob...
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22 News WWLP
March 23, 2011
BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - A Springfield High School student is leading nearly 300 youth from across the state to join lawmakers and health advocates to “kick some butt.”
“Kick Butts Day” is a national celebration to empower youth – a chance to speak out and say no to Big Tobacco.
Tiffany Farrell is a senior at Springfield High School of Commerce and a secondhand smoke survivor. About three years ago, she was hospitalized after secondhand smoke triggered a severe asthma attack that developed into carbon dioxide poisoning and exacerbated an existing case of walking pneumonia.
“It was just one of the worst experiences of my life,” said Tiffany. “I don’t smoke, I don’t participate in it and I’m still being affected so negatively.”
After weeks of respiratory therapy, Tiffany recovered and the experience inspired her to be a youth leader. On Wednesday, she led a rally and asked lawmakers to do more to protect young people from targeted tobacco campaigns.
“[Tobacco companies] make [tobacco] products very colorful and they make them in flavors,” said Tiffany. “They're making them to resemble candies that children eat.”
Tiffany says the tobacco industry also targets minority and poor communities, which drove her further into community activism. Today she’s being awarded the 84 Statewide Youth Leadership Award in recognition of her work.
“People like Tiffany and others are heroic in terms of their speaking out, working with their peers, working with their parents and effecting policy makers like those of us at the Department of Health and legislators to really make an important difference,” said Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach.
Event organizers say tobacco use kills 9,000 people and costs over $3 billion dollars in health care bills each year in Massachusetts.
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/politics/Springfield-student-fights-Big-Tob...
