As Stoptober approaches and people consider giving up smoking, one Manchester based father and daughter want the city to know about its tailor-made 12-week service that fits the person it helps.
That regular support can be on a one-to-one basis in person, on the phone, online or in group sessions, with nicotine replacement options; and constant support for cravings, ongoing check-ins and moral support.
The key part about the Be Smoke Free Manchester service is that it never leaves the person trying to quit on their own in those crucial early stages. Giving up smoking is also one of the biggest preventable causes of early death in the city and features within its Making Manchester Fairer strategy, which addresses health inequalities and other social factors that affect life chances. This is Jaya and Jigar’s story.
When professional turns personal
Jaya’s view:
Twenty-four-year-old Jaya Vyas describes her father as the life and soul of the family; a protector who lights up rooms, loves to laugh and of course, tells the obligatory ‘bad Dad’ jokes. But things turned serious when Jaya, a politics graduate, gained a role in the public health team at Manchester City Council and immersed herself in the city’s population statistics and health inequality profiles.
“I’d always know that smoking is bad for you,” she says, “but it hit me hard when I saw that the biggest cause of preventable early death in Manchester is from smoking.
“That made me think about my own Dad, who will be 60 this year and has smoked since he was 16.”
Jigar, who came to live in the UK from India when he was seven, also has other health conditions including type 1 diabetes, alongside the 20-a-day habit.
“The health inequalities work that I have been involved with also made it clear to me that my Dad was also at higher risk of heart disease or stroke,” Jaya continues.
“That and seeing the tailored help you can get to give up via our Be Smoke Free service is what made me even more determined to broach the matter with him.”
Previously, Jigar, who lives in Chorlton, had tried on numerous occasions to give up – including one family intervention where Jaya’s Mum limited the number of cigarettes by hiding them around the house and ringing at certain times of the day to say where they were. But, nothing had a long-term effect and the smoking continued. In the end a heartfelt and at times heated conversation at Christmas 2024, led to a turning point.
“I told my Dad that I wanted to have him for as long as possible and for him to be there for any children – his grandchildren – that I may have in the future.”
The emotional exchange led to Jigar accepting Jaya’s help when she referred him into the Be Smoke Free Service in Manchester. By May Jigar had his own 12-week tailored programme to quit in place, including nicotine replacement, talking therapy and a nurse assigned to his case. It wasn’t easy, but it’s now eighteen months on and Jigar has not had a single cigarette.
“I think the big difference was that the service operates in a very personal way,” says Jaya.
“You can have a smoking buddy to help you – it was me, for my Dad – and your nurse is in constant communication. There is no judgement, but it does make the individual more accountable because of that consistent contact, rather than being left to their own devices.”
So what changes has Jaya seen since then?
“I’ve got my Dad back,” she says. “He has more energy, and is a lot more active – he can now take our cocker spaniel out on long walks. Plus, his skin looks different – he’s not pallid any more and just looks far more healthy.” And, while Jaya may have been her Dad’s smoking buddy, she has now gained a gym buddy in return as Jigar now does workout training too.
“It’s funny now that Dad even notices that other people smell of smoke – but he still hasn’t been tempted to light up again,” she says.
“I’m so proud of him. He’s still the Dad I remember, the one who took us to school on his bike, honking the horn when we got there to make us laugh. But, this has added an extra dimension because I recognise that he has overcome an addiction, and that he did it out of love for his current family – and any that may come in the future.
“It’s easily one of the top three achievements in my life – up there with getting a first for my degree and getting this role in public health.”
Jigar’s view:
“I’m so grateful to my daughter for introducing me to the service. I now feel much more alert and can even do rigorous exercise like playing squash again. It has also made me go to the gym more as I don’t get as tired as easily or feel sluggish. And, long walks without getting out of breath as so much more enjoyable.
“I tried lots of ways to give up over the years, but I think this method worked because of the non-judgemental approach of the staff. The way they kept in contact and their support especially during the first three months was the key factor in getting through the hardest part – and then maintaining it for what’s now nearly two years.
“If anyone asked me for advice now I would say never even try smoking in the first place. It takes up so much of your money. And, now that I am smoke-free I realise how utterly repulsive the smell is on people’s clothes – and I wouldn’t want that for them.
“For those who are smoking or vaping and want to give up, I’d encourage them to get support like this.
“The best feeling is knowing that I have made my daughter proud because I have managed to stick to it without going back to cigarettes.”
Manchester City Council view:
Cllr Thomas Robinson, Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care at Manchester City Council, said: “My thanks to Jaya and Jigar for sharing their story. It shows the power of working together with responsive services that suit the individual and then give constant support, especially during those initial three months. That brings the sort of results that can change lives and futures.”
