Husband and wife say “Adios” to smoking and “Hola” to an extra week in Mexico

What could you do with the money you would save by giving up cigarettes? For Jan and Karl Groh, the answer was more rewarding than anything they could have imagined when they first decided to quit smoking. Just a few months after quitting in December 2009, the couple had saved enough money to add an additional week to their yearly vacation in Mexico.

Jan admits she started smoking at age 12, and Karl at age 18. “He was a late bloomer,” she jokes. “In those days, everybody smoked — our friends, their parents, everybody. Of the people I knew, only my parents didn’t smoke. They were the exception.”

“We got the postcard in the mail from UPMC, and I said, ‘That’s it!’” Jan continues. “I was tired of the cigarette odor in the house, the furniture, our clothes, everything. And every morning Karl had a horrible cough.”

In the photo above:
Jan and Karl Groh, UPMC Health Plan Members

Karl, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, gets UPMC Health Plan benefits for himself and Jan through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The postcard the couple received explained the UPMC MyHealth Ready to Quit™ Program, which offers members reimbursement for 12 weeks of prescription drug therapy for smoking cessation and free health coaching sessions over the phone.

Jan had tried to quit several times, but she always went back. Karl had never seriously tried to quit. “I asked Karl if he wanted to do it with me. I made him make the call. He waited until the very last date on the postcard,” says Jan.

Jan and Karl both planned their quit dates for right after their son’s wedding in December. At the wedding reception, Jan grabbed her cigarettes, intending to join Karl and the other smokers outside. “I opened the door and the 18-degree air hit me. I knew I’d have to be crazy to go out there just to smoke. That was it for me — I didn’t smoke that day and haven’t smoked since.”

Medication coupled with counseling is often best. Jan and Karl followed their physician’ s directions exactly and neither had any side effects. Within three days, Karl’s severe morning cough was completely gone. Jan and Karl began to notice that when they came home from an evening out with friends who smoked, they had to hang their coats outside to air out.

The couple enjoyed working with UPMC Health Plan health coach Jennifer Cornforth to support their decision to quit. “Jennifer was wonderful. And the MyHealth workbook was very beneficial,” says Karl.

“Jennifer insisted we should reward ourselves for quitting. So we decided to add a week to our vacation in Mexico, something we both love,” says Jan. “We’re really looking forward to the extra week!” says Karl. “And we won’t have to worry about not being able to smoke at the airport, on the plane, or anywhere. We can just go.”