Thanks to Reality Check, Chris Tague has a new holiday to celebrate:
November 21, the Great American Smoke-Out.
Reality Check is a grant program funded through the New York State Department of Health that works to keep kids from smoking and using other tobacco products.
This year the local organization decided to adopt a smoker to mark the Great American Smoke-Out (GASO) and chose Mr. Tague, a lifelong Schoharie County resident, vice-chairman of the Schoharie County GOP, and a fulltime employee at Cobleskill Stone Products.
And now, a former smoker.
On the morning of the GASO, Reality Check Program Coordinator CJ Smith met with Mr. Tague for a "trade and swap."
"He gave me his cigarette and I gave him a basket of goodies and tools to quit smoking," Ms. Smith said.
Fourteen smoke-free days later, on December 4, she met again with Mr. Tague and here she shares both her notes from that interview and Mr. Tague's firsthand story.

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By CJ Smith
Chris is still struggling daily.
He continues to chew toothpicks and hard candy, and unfortunately, he says all he does is eat.
I asked him if he notices a difference yet and he said he doesn't have the chronic cough, especially in the morning.
He doesn't feel the heaviness in his chest like he used to and feels he can breathe much better.
He said that smoking was such a big part of his daily life that it is extremely hard to fill that void.
He did successfully quit in the past and stayed smoke-free for over two years.
I asked him how he did it then and if he was able to use the same strategies now ans he said no.
In the past, he was pretty active, playing softball, basketball, and golf.
He was able to increase his activity level to fight the urge and also help him to get in better general health. He is unable to be active at this point.
When Hurricane Irene hit Schoharie County in 2011, Chris's house was destroyed. He had six to seven feet of water in the main floor of his house.
In the days right after the flood hit, Chris was surveying the damages to his house.
While walking through some debris, the floor gave out and Chris fell through the floor.
When he fell, he did some significant damage to his right knee and he had to undergo some reconstructive surgery.
Although the doctors say that his knee is now about 80 percent, it isn't expected to improve substantially and along with arthritis in both hips, is limiting his activity.
Although it has been and will continue to be an uphill battle, he will not give up the fight.
He continues to feel better every day and we will follow him weekly and track his progress.

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By Chris Tague
Of course, like most people, tobacco has impacted my life negatively.
Both my parents and most of my aunts and uncles were smokers.
I began smoking around the age of 14.
I became a regular smoker at the age of 18.
I have smoked upwards of three packs a day; recently, around one pack a day.
About five years ago, I quit cold turkey, which lasted a little over two years. But I started up again.
I really enjoy smoking.
What I don't like is the feeling I have in the morning when I wake up or the many health issues I have that are compounded by smoking.
My father was 37 years old when he had his first heart attack and I was 9.
My mom quit smoking right after the event.
My father continued to smoke after two triple bypass surgeries and two more heart attacks.
He passed away in September 2001 at the age of 59 as a result of those health issues.
I have seen firsthand the ill effects of smoking, but still find it hard to quit; it's become a regular activity in my daily life and I truly enjoy it.
When I was asked to be a part of the Great American Smoke-Out by those at Reality Check, I made a decision that it was time to stop procrastinating and try to lengthen my own life and better my health.
So today is the day. A new beginning to hopefully, a happy, healthier me.
Thank you to Reality Check for thinking enough of me to make me think about me.
I hope to say one year from now at my family Thanksgiving dinner as we say grace, "Thank God I am one year smoke-free."