Courage and Dignity

LINDA COSTIGAN STRUGGLED to quit smoking. She was finally successful—but only after she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. By then she had been smoking for 42 years. Although she could do little to save herself, Linda tried to do what she could to educate others about the hazards of smoking. She allowed the American Legacy Foundation to use her image and her brief but heartfelt letters to her daughter, J. C., her friend, Pat, and her granddaughter, Ally, in its 2002– 2003 national advertising campaign against smoking. She was one of 4 women to allow their personal stories to be used in trying to reach the 46 million Americans who are still smoking.1 This haunting photograph was taken by Richard Avedon in March 2002. Linda felt that this advertising campaign gave her life meaning in her final months. This ad and her “voice” is her legacy to the world. Linda Costigan died in January 2003. In remembering Linda Costigan, we should also remember that, each year, 178 000 women die of tobacco-related illnesses.2 Tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death among women in the United States, responsible for the premature deaths of approximately 3 million women since 1985.3 Linda’s daughter, like many other American women, has herself struggled to quit smoking

Courage · Daughter · Dignity · Meaning (existential) · Political science · Quit smoking · Smoking cessation · Sociology · Demography · Health and Conflict Studies · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Gerontology