An American writes his own obituary to warn others not to smoke

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A 66-year-old man from the state of New York took the initiative to write his own obituary to warn others against smoking.

Geoffrey Turner died of lung cancer on February 13 after spending decades smoking.

"I was an idiot who made the same stupid decision day after day," wrote Mr. Turner. "If you're a smoker, stop smoking – now – your life depends on it."

Her daughter, Sarah, told the BBC that she was extremely proud of her father's last "selfless" act.

"I was a smoker and even though I knew it might eventually kill me, I chose to deny myself the truth," reads in Turner's obituary in the Albany Times Union.

Mr. Turner was diagnosed in November with stage four lung cancer that, according to his doctor, was a direct result of his years of smoking.

"The pain and suffering that I caused to my family was not worth the perceived" satisfaction "that was really wasting money, separating me from my family and eventually destroying my body.

"I have lived a decent life, but there are so many events and milestones that I will not be able to share with my loved ones," he wrote. "The moral of this story – do not be an idiot.

"Remember, life is beautiful – do not let it go up in smoke."

His daughter Sarah Huiest told the BBC that she was shocked when her father had shown her the obituary.

"I told him that it was incredibly self-deprecating," Ms. Huiest said. He shrugged and said, "Everything is true."

The response to honest obituaries has been very positive, according to his daughter.

"Friends and strangers contacted me to say how his words were what they would have liked to hear from their own loved ones," Ms. Huiest said.

She told the BBC that her grandmother had for the first time surprised Mr. Turner while smoking, when he was only two years old – and that his father remembered having himself took this habit at the age of four.

Legend of the mediaHave decades of anti-smoking campaigns had an effect?

Mr. Turner first quit smoking after marrying Mrs. Huiest's mother, but once he took it back in the mid-90s during a trip to New York City. In London, he did not stop smoking until he was diagnosed with cancer last year.

But he never smoked in front of his children, says his daughter.

"While we were growing up in the '80s and early' 90s, he was denouncing smoking and urging us never to start."

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the country. About half a million people die each year from smoking-related diseases.

Ms. Huiest describes her father's obituary as "by far the most important thing he has done in his life".

"He always wanted to do something big." I am extremely proud of the selfless act of this obituary. That is why it will be the best known and it is a very good thing. "

Mr. Turner leaves behind his wife, five children and four grandchildren.

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