Meeting Lily

Updated Aug 12, 2014

If you read my column last month, you know about my dad’s ongoing battle with lung cancer — and the fact that he won’t quit smoking.

That’s part of why it did my heart good to meet Lily.

Lily, an owner-operator leased to Forward Air, is part of the Trucking Health Solutions Group, which helped put on the health walk at our Great West Truck Show and will again be hosting a walk this month at GATS in Dallas. I met her through my friends Linda and Bob Caffee, owner-operators for FedEx who are also with the THS Group.

The extraordinary thing about Lily is that she quit smoking earlier this year — after 40 years of being a regular smoker. She said it’s been a tough road, but thus far it’s been worth it. She feels much better physically. She’s taken to smoking an electric cigarette to help her stick with it — so far, so good. This is a pretty amazing health victory in itself.

Lily, along with her friend Vivian, who attended the show with her, also offered me what I consider to be some great advice for dealing with my dad. I won’t go into it here, but it was very meaningful to me.

To me, Lily represents the heart of the American trucker: Determination and grit paired with a giving spirit. These traits manifest themselves differently in different people, but they’re almost always there.

If you’re coming to the Great American Trucking Show this month, be sure to look Lily up. Come join the group Saturday morning at the Health Walk, and give her a high five for quitting smoking. You can even stop by the Fit for the Road booth to chat with me about your own health successes and concerns. Hope to see you there!

For more information about the Health Walk and the Too Hot to Trot 5K Fun Run, both co-sponsored by Truckers News’ Fit for the Road program, visit www.truckersnews.com

Misty Bell is managing editor for Truckers News. You can find her health blog at www.fit4theroad.com. Contact her at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/fitfortheroad..