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Briana Anderson is a senior at Mallard Creek High School. She enjoys educating her peers on the dangers of tobacco because she has seen first-hand what the consequences of using tobacco can be.
When Briana was only 11 years old, her uncle moved in with her family because he had lung cancer and needed care. Briana went to all of his doctor’s visits, witnessed his seizures, and looked on as EMT workers came by ambulance to care for him. She couldn’t believe how quickly he went from looking healthy to being “skin and bones.” Once the cancer spread throughout his body, he couldn’t even talk.
Nine months later, she attended his funeral. If that wasn’t hard enough on an 11 year old, she had to do it all over again one year later, when her aunt developed cancer from smoking. Her mother and siblings moved in with her aunt to help take care of her.
“It was really hard because my aunt still tried to cook and act like nothing was wrong, but the cancer just ate her up,” Briana said. Through her life experiences, she has intimate knowledge of how harmful tobacco use is.
“I feel I have the responsibility to speak up...this is not a game, it’s not cool, people are really dying,” she said. That is why she joined TRU (Tobacco. Reality. Unfiltered.). TRU is North Carolina’s teen tobacco prevention movement; it’s peer-led and advocacy-driven.
There are many youth in Mecklenburg County and throughout the state who are involved in TRU activities and each is drawn in for different reasons. Some have a personal tie, others are looking out for their futures; but they all agree that living a healthy life means living tobacco-free.
“I choose to be tobacco free because of the simple fact that I love and respect myself,” Erica Bermejo, a senior at South Mecklenburg High School, said.
Mecklenburg County has a TRU Youth Advisory Board. It’s a group of 20 high school youth from schools all across the county who are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of their friends. They are leaders in creating change.
The TRU Youth Advisory Board played a key role in the implementation of the smoke-free restaurants and bars law. It helped mail educational packets out to all 3,000+ restaurants in Mecklenburg County to educate them about the new law. Board members stood outside in 30-degree weather at SouthPark and Eastland malls, passing out flyers about the dangers of secondhand smoke and letting patrons know that all restaurants and bars were now smoke-free. The TRU Youth Advisory Board attended several Charlotte Checkers’ games to staff educational booths that displayed diseased lungs and chemicals found in tobacco.
“When I am able to help prevent someone who was tempted to smoke from using tobacco products, I feel that I have made the biggest contribution to society.” Addison Baker, a senior at Vance High School, said.
The youth get involved in the community because they want to help create the first tobacco-free generation in North Carolina.
“Most people I know [who smoke] smoke Black and Milds, so I tell them that a cigar can contain as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes,” said Erica McWirther, a senior at Olympic High School. “They need to know how dangerous they are, so we can prevent unnecessary illnesses.”
Getting young people involved to positively influence their friends has helped lower teen tobacco use rates here in Mecklenburg County. And they don’t want to stop with restaurants and bars; these youth want to see all public spaces go smoke-free.
“I want every teen to know that tobacco use affects everyone, not just the people that use it. Secondhand smoke causes cancer, so it is definitely not okay to let your friends smoke around you,” said Jasmine Otu, a senior at Phillip O’Berry High School.
Tracy Fuentes is a senior at Vance High School. Her father smoked for 40 years, but quit five years ago. She couldn’t be more proud of her father for giving up the deadly, addictive habit. She remembers going on trips as a kid and how terrible they were because of all the smoke awareness, I feel like I’m doing my part to protect myself and those around me.”
You can do your part, too, by supporting smokefree places in and around Mecklenburg County.”
“Community parks are for the public and a place for family and friends,” Erica McWirther said, while picking up cigarette butts at Freedom Park. “Nobody should have to worry about secondhand smoke.”
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