My name is Danielle Mills, and my kids and our health is my story. I’m a Yawuru woman from Broome. I’ve lived here my entire life with my children – Rahizah, who’s 15, and my son, Lyndon, who’s 12.
I can’t say that I started smoking because of somebody else. It was a choice that I had made, but I know that I was heavily influenced. I didn’t like the idea of my children not having a mother – I’m a leader to them – and I need to decide what kind of leadership I want to offer.
I actually didn’t smoke for my daughter, which was my firstborn, but I did smoke for my son, which was my second child.
For my children, I had to make the decision to stop smoking. I’d visited the QuitNow! website, which I found a lot of tools and information that assisted with quitting smoking. Essentially, it offered support and networks that I could access.
All this time later, I’ve still not had any desire to have a cigarette. You feel like you’ve achieved something. If I can do it, anybody can do it. There’s help, and there’s support, and it is absolutely worth it. Your life is precious, and you need to take care of it. One chance.