Wade Hampton lives with his family in Norwood.  Having lost his “voice box” to tobacco-related cancer, he shares his story with local students as well as North Carolina legislators.  When Hampton speaks to students, he says he thinks of himself.  Hampton began smoking at age 16.  When he grew up, he said, smoking was a sign of maturity or adulthood.  Cowboys smoked; GIs smoked; adults smoked; and his father smoked.  Hampton’s father was a two-pack-per-day man, so he was determined to follow in his footsteps.  He didn’t know cigarettes would gain such control over his daily life when he first decided to sneak around and try the addictive leaf. 

From high school to college, Hampton said his tobacco usage increased.  He also spent a tour with the US Air Force, winding up in Southeast Asia in 1969.  The availability of cheap smokes made the time seem to pass quicker, Hampton said, but he was smoking about four packs per day.

During this period of his life, Hampton said he was strong and felt that nothing could compromise his well-being.  When he entered the work world, it seemed that smoking enhanced his alertness and stamina.  Hampton’s life was regulated by the need of his next “smoke fix.”  From his first cigarette upon waking up to his last one before going to bed, Hampton was totally absorbed with acquiring his next 20-minute bump.

Although his uncle had succumbed to emphysema, Hampton still didn't realize that the poison of the cigarette was carrying him down the same path.  Then in 1994, Hampton was diagnosed with throat cancer.  This was definitely his wake-up call, and today, he leads a new life.
Hampton says he’s better for not having a dependence on cigarettes and regrets ever becoming addicted to such a seductive killer.