Fight4YourLife

Rick and Marie Stoddard

Rick Stoddard's wife, Marie, was diagnosed with lung cancer in August of 1999. She died five and a half months later in January 2000. She was 46 years old.

In writing her obituary, Rick insisted on identifying his wife’s cause of death as cancer caused by cigarette smoking. A former smoker himself, he had unsuccessfully tried to help her quit smoking.

After Marie’s death, Rick took his grief public in an effort to keep other people from experiencing the same type of loss. From his home in Central Massachusetts, Rick continues to tell people how tobacco killed the woman he loved.

Remembering Marie’s suffering keeps Rick motivated. Her early death at 46 still seems unbelievable, and as he explains, "I guess I never thought of 23 as middle-aged."