Leonard Nimoy Reveals He Has Lung Disease, Warns Against Smoking

[Achilleslastand]

Leonard Nimoy Reveals He Has Lung Disease, Warns Against Smoking


It's too late for Leonard Nimoy, but he wants his fans to know that they should quit smoking now.

The 82-year-old actor, who's played the iconic role of Spock in "Star Trek" TV shows and movies since 1966, has revealed that he has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from his days as a smoker.

"I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP" he wrote on Twitter, referencing the traditional Vulcan salutation, live long and prosper.

COPD is a disease that makes it increasingly difficult to breathe, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Patients who have it often have the conditions of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and experience tightening of the chest, shortness of breath, and other symptoms. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD, which is now the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Last week, Nimoy raised questions about his health when he was spotted riding in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank as he passed through New York's JFK Airport. Mainly, it was because the octogenarian has continued to be active and never really retired. He reprised his most famous role in last year's "Star Trek Into Darkness" and appeared on Fox's "Fringe" in 2012.


Meanwhile, he's prolific on Twitter, with more than 807,000 followers. Nimoy regularly comments on his daily life, upcoming "Star Trek" events, and interacts with his fans.

Nimoy's tweet about his diagnosis was met with supportive messages from that same group.

[ljbab728]

That's an excellent statment by Leonard Nimoy and hopefully it will make an impact on some. Achilleslastand, do you have any thoughts about that or do you just start threads with a posted article and tell everyone "Discuss"?

[Achilleslastand]

About smoking or Star Trek or living long and prospering?

I have never smoked and have no intentions of starting now......
Lost my mother several years ago to the damaging effects of a lifetime of smoking. I can understand why some would{relieves stress, anxiety}but its not my cup of tea. Plus a carton of ciggs is what? 50-60 bucks now....what a load of bunk.

And as far as ST goes I keep telling myself to get the whole collection of TOS soon but never get around to it. The actors, characters and stories were leagues above the nonsense on prime time now.

[ljbab728]

No, I didn't mean comments about either of those. I meant do you have any comments about the article and what he hopes to accomplish by his statements since that is what I assume the thread is about. I understand how it can work sometimes but mostly it just seems a little strange to start a new thread with a cut and paste article and no comment about it. Obviously it must have meant something to you or you wouldn't have posted it.

[Achilleslastand]

No, I didn't mean comments about either of those. I meant do you have any comments about the article and what he hopes to accomplish by his statements since that is what I assume the thread is about. I understand how it can work sometimes but mostly it just seems a little strange to start a new thread with a cut and paste article and no comment about it. Obviously it must have meant something to you or you wouldn't have posted it.

"Lost my mother several years ago to the damaging effects of a lifetime of smoking. I can understand why some would{relieves stress, anxiety}but its not my cup of tea".

And I hope his message gets out and saves some heartbreak/health issues in the future....But you know how we humans are...we think we are invincible until often it is to late.

[Mel]

Yul Brenner tried and maybe it helped a few people. Maybe Spock saying it will make a bigger difference.

[ljbab728]

"Lost my mother several years ago to the damaging effects of a lifetime of smoking. I can understand why some would{relieves stress, anxiety}but its not my cup of tea".

And I hope his message gets out and saves some heartbreak/health issues in the future....But you know how we humans are...we think we are invincible until often it is to late.

As I said, I knew it had to have some kind of meaning to you but I couldn't tell from your initial post. I'm very sorry about the loss of your mother to that horrible affliction.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Correct me if I'm wrong...But he quit 30 years ago and is in his 80's. Smoking caused that? I'd think that being in his 80's caused it.

/not a doctor
//has no idea, just doesn't sound right

[Snowman]

Correct me if I'm wrong...But he quit 30 years ago and is in his 80's. Smoking caused that? I'd think that being in his 80's caused it.

/not a doctor
//has no idea, just doesn't sound right

If you smoke for more than a decade you risk never goes down back totally to someone who never did, though drastically better than if you continue

Dr. Halpern said the Michigan study specifically examined the cancer risk in relation to the ages at which people quit.

The mean age of 900,000 participants at the beginning of the study was 57. About half had never smoked and one-quarter were former smokers.

The average male smoker in the study began smoking at about age 17 and smoked 26 cigarettes a day; the average female began smoking a year later and smoked 22 cigarettes a day.

The researchers found that fewer than 50 male nonsmokers and fewer than 30 female nonsmokers in 100,000 died of lung cancer by the age of 75. By contrast, 1,250 men in 100,000 who continued to smoke and 550 women in 100,000 who continued to smoke died of lung cancer by the age of 75. Death Rate and Age

The death rate at age 75 for former smokers depended on the age at which people quit smoking, Dr. Halpern said.

Among former smokers who quit in their 30's, the study found that 90 men and 55 women in 100,000 died of lung cancer by age 75. For those who quit in their 40's, the number of people who died of the disease rose to 150 men and 80 women.

As people quit smoking later in life, the study found, they tended to die more frequently from lung cancer. For those who quit by 54, there were 240 deaths among men and 125 among women; by 59, there were 340 deaths among men and 170 for women, and by 64, there were 500 deaths among men and 270 among women.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/21/us...kers-quit.html

[OKCTalker]

I lost a dear friend to COPD one year ago today. She started smoking when she was in her single digits, and continued to the end despite trying patches, Chantix (sp?) and other things. She was matriarch in her family, an "adopted mother" to countless friends, and 77 years old when she passed. The world is darker for her absence.

[Jim Kyle]

Correct me if I'm wrong...But he quit 30 years ago and is in his 80's. Smoking caused that? I'd think that being in his 80's caused it.

Well, my cardiologist and my pulmonologist agree that my 40 years of smoking, until I stopped cold turkey on Thanksgiving weekend of 1987, are to blame for my clogged arteries, congestive heart failure, and COPD. I can't say whether they're right or wrong, but I have an implanted defibrillator for the CHF and carry an oxygen tank for the COPD and am almost the same age as Spock. I can, however, definitely say that "recovery in five years after quitting" is definitely not a universal truth -- and I'm not sure I would change anything if I had a chance to relive my life, despite the downsides!

[ctchandler]

Jim,
I smoked for 38 years (non filtered Pall Malls), quit 12-29-1999 at age 56. I was diagnosed with COPD 11-8-2012 at age 69. And like you, I carry an oxygen tank and of course am on oxygen 24/7 at home with my concentrator. I know that I would do things differently. My main fear was emphysema and I thought I had quit in time. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
C. T.

Well, my cardiologist and my pulmonologist agree that my 40 years of smoking, until I stopped cold turkey on Thanksgiving weekend of 1987, are to blame for my clogged arteries, congestive heart failure, and COPD. I can't say whether they're right or wrong, but I have an implanted defibrillator for the CHF and carry an oxygen tank for the COPD and am almost the same age as Spock. I can, however, definitely say that "recovery in five years after quitting" is definitely not a universal truth -- and I'm not sure I would change anything if I had a chance to relive my life, despite the downsides!

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Wheel then, I stand corrected indeed

[gjl]

I also smoked for 29 years and quit a little over 10 years ago. Even being a non smoker for 10 years it effected my breathing and is probably the biggest reason I had my chest cracked open a couple years ago. It's one reason I'm not pro legalize pot. We are doing a lot to try and keep people from damaging themselves by inhaling cigarette smoke while at the same time some want to make it legal for millions to inhale another kind of smoke. It may not have all the harmful ingredients that cigarette smoke has but it has to have it's share and is still inhaling smoke. I saw a doctor being interviewed about it and one thing he pointed out was pot smokers keep the smoke in their lungs longer. It is not without health risks.

[mugofbeer]

Rather ironic what's known about tobacco and how smokers are almost treated as outcasts yet everyone seems to think its an honorable and desirable thing for marijuana to be legal.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Don't have to smoke marijuana... and a lot of folks don't for these very reasons.

And brownies are good. Just sayin...

[Prunepicker]

If you smoke for more than a decade you risk never goes down back totally
to someone who never did, though drastically better than if you continue

I started in high school and quit after about 8 or 9 years. I hope you're right.

[Prunepicker]

Here's a strange. My Mom smoked for over 70 years. When she was
diagnosed with cancer I asked the doctor if her smoking had anything to do
with it. She said she tried to link it to smoking but couldn't.

[MadMonk]

I'm going to start referring to myself as a "quadragenerian" (at least for a few more years), with hopes of someday achieving at least octogenerian status, of course.

[Jim Kyle]

I'm going to start referring to myself as a "quadragenerian" (at least for a few more years), with hopes of someday achieving at least octogenerian status, of course.

Be careful when you get to 60, in this case. However "quintagenarian" and "septagenarian" aren't likely to get you added to an offenders' registry...

[flintysooner]

quinquagenarian * sexagenerian * septuagenarian