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GERRY COLLINS, A father-of-three who appeared in a hard-hitting HSE anti-smoking campaign in which he talked about his terminal lung cancer, has died of his illness.
The 57-year-old died in his sleep surrounded by his family on Sunday morning. Today, the HSE said they believed his ads had helped over 60,000 attempt to quit smoking this year.
Tribute
The HSE paid tribute to Gerry Collins, offering sympathies and condolences to his family and friends.
Director General of the Health Services, Tony O’Brien, said that Gerry and his family” have made a unique contribution to the health and wellbeing of our society” by working on the QUIT campaign
The HSE estimates that over 60,000 people in Ireland have made a quit attempt this year, thanks to Gerry. O’Brien described this as “something his family and friends can be deeply proud of”.
Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, National Director of Health & Wellbeing, said: “We are all deeply saddened to learn of Gerry’s death.”
The response from the public, and more importantly from smokers making quit attempts, has been phenomenal. We know that Gerry has saved lives and helped many people avoid the pain, illness and loss that are caused by smoking.
Two new adverts featuring Gerry and his family were due to be aired from Ash Wednesday (March 5) this week, said Dr Fenton Howell, National Tobacco Control Adviser at the Dept of Health.
In the new adverts, he shares more of his story and his thoughts about smoking and his terminal illness, and his gratitude for his family and friends. He ends these ads with a simple appeal to smokers -‘Don’t smoke, don’t start, and if you have, stop.’
He described it as “tragic” that Collins did not live to see them broadcast.
Gerry’s QUIT campaign adverts were created on the shared understanding with him and his family that they would continue to be used after he had died.
The Collins family have decided that these adverts should be aired as planned this week, in accordance with Gerry’s wishes.
The Collins family said today:
Gerry was a great father, grandfather, husband, son, brother and friend, and we are lost without him. We are all incredibly proud of all he did to help others, and the inspiring work he did on the QUIT campaign.He was touched and delighted by the responses he received, online, by post and in person, from smokers and non-smokers alike, and loved hearing the many stories of people who had quit after seeing his ads or hearing his interviews.
He wanted to make a difference, and we know that he did. As we say goodbye to Gerry, we would ask that our privacy be respected to allow us time to adjust and grieve for him.
Encouraging others to quit
Gerry, a businessman who had been a coach at Dublin GAA club Kilmacud Crokes, had originally appeared in an ad in 2011 to encourage people to stop smoking. In the video, he spoke about how he had survived throat cancer after smoking up to 60 cigarettes a day for many years before giving up, and encouraged other smokers to quit.
However just two years after the campaign ran, Gerry was diagnosed with lung cancer in the summer of 2013 and was told he only had eight months to live.
He and his family allowed the HSE and a film crew to video them over a period of several days about what it was like to be given his diagnosis.
In the campaign, Gerry said that he believed that he was one of the 50 per cent of smokers who did not die from smoking before his second diagnosis.
“I wish I was an actor [but] the reality is that I’m not an actor. I am dying. I’m dying from cancer as a result of smoking,” he said in the ad.
The ad has more than one quarter of a million views since it was uploaded at the end of December.
Legacy
Speaking to TheJournal.ie in December, Gerry said that he believed the campaign would be a “nice legacy to leave behind” if it managed to encourage someone to give up smoking.
“I’m sorry I didn’t do it earlier,” he said at the time. “It was very difficult to know that I paid the primary role in my downfall”.
He said part of the reason he had been involved in the campaign was for his children and his family.
“I think I underestimated the degree of difficulty for them but now they’ve gone through it [the campaign], it was a kind of binding thing and something they can look back on and say “we did this with Dad together and what a great thing to do”".
His daughter Lisa posted on Facebook about the death of her father.
“Our Dad, Gerry Collins, passed away this morning peacefully in his sleep and a “happy man”,” she wrote.
(Video: HSE Ireland/YouTube)
- Additional reporting Aoife Barry. First published 7.44am
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Huge amount of respect for this man!
RIP.
I hope people listen to your message.
Smoking kills.
I’m one of the lucky ones who tried it when I was younger but didn’t like it. You think it’s cool and all grown up to do it when your young. All the big cigarette companies are targeting new markets like Africa. Very sad. How the big bosses of these cigarette companies live with themselves i’ll never know. It would be interesting to see how many actually smoke. I would imagine very few when they know exactly what’s in them. RIP
I had the pleasure of working with Gerry,he was a true gent and s very charismatic individual!
Rip. Deepest condolences to his family
A brave man, may he rest in peace .
Im giving up! Respect to Gerry. Thoses adds nearly had me in tears. I can’t help feeling I knew this man.
I gave up @20 years ago best thing I ever did. RIP to this brave brave man, hopefully people will take this message seriously, cigarettes are a killer, no mistake about that. Condolences to his family.
brave man. and family. cigarettes are, simply, a curse. I enjoyed the majority of the cigarettes I smoked -
imagine that; enjoying something that is killing you. they should be banned. a draconian but responsible measure. people will complain about ‘nanny state’ well, sometimes, the state does have to step in and ‘nanny’ to protect its citizens and ultimately, real free will as cigarettes, a shockingly powerful drug, remove the addict’s free will.
RIP Gerry.
I disagree, the crime wave for generation after would simply not be worth it. Everyone knows the risks, and many people give them up. Take responsibility for your life and grow a pair!
God rest the man but I completely disagree. Nothing to do with the nanny state either, it’s human nature. If I choose to smoke then as long as I am not harming anyone else, then so be it, it’s not for you or anyone else to tell me what to do and when. You have to ask yourself, what kind of a country do we want to live in…do we allow people to make informed decisions for themselves, and accept the consequences of those decisions, or do we remove the responsibility of choice and make the decision for them? There is an important distinction between the two and a it’s a very dangerous road to go down if we choose the former. You can advise people about smoking, discourage them even, but removing choice and responsibility is the wrong thing to do.
I disagree Piarais. Why should I be made pay more taxes/bigger insurance premia because you made a senseless, anti-social decision in the full knowledge of the possible consequences?.
Yes, you may smoke. But don’t go looking for state-subsidised medical treatment afterwards.
As for Gerry Collins, may this good and intelligent man rest in peace.
Obesity is a greater health risk and is a greater financial strain than Alcohol and Tobacco combined…only saying. Should we ban Mc Donalds?
Piarais – but you are harming others, Roy Castle died from passive smoking, as do thousands of others.
Piarais- Do people eat 10,20 or 40 McDonalds a day like people smoke a day! Why should I now have to walk threw a cloud of smoke just to get into a non smoking pub?
No we shouldnt ban mcdonalds.. Stupid statement.
If u have a big mac and fries everyday then its gonna impact negatively on your health but people in general only have a McDonalds once a month or less.
If all smokers only had 1 fag a month then there would be no lung cancer would there? Cigarettes are different to fast food because of the addictive nature of nicotine which causes you to keep craving another fag and another fag etc. And its the fact that people smoke a lot of fags on a daily basis that is causing lung cancer.
I am not sure banning cigarettes is altogether a good idea. But its certainly not a bad idea. Its about time the world stood up to cigarette companies.
Of course it’s a stupid statement but no less stupid than banning tobacco – banning anything rarely solves a problem, but at least it gives keyboard warriors something to rant about. My point stands – more people are dying from obesity than alcohol and tobacco combined.
Dying from Obesity?? That’s like saying people die from car crashes!! Who do you know died from Obesity?
This whole paragragraph is completely wrong
“If all smokers only had 1 fag a month then there would be no lung cancer would there? Cigarettes are different to fast food because of the addictive nature of nicotine which causes you to keep craving another fag and another fag etc. And its the fact that people smoke a lot of fags on a daily basis that is causing lung cancer.”
If smokers only had 1 fag a month YES there would still be lung cancer. its not exclusive to smokers.
Food is also very addictive. fats and sugars play on our brain’s reward centers. Some people get addicted to sugars , chocolate, coke, fast food takeaways. and generally people might only have 1 McDonalds every month, but inbetween that they have chinese, pizza, chocolate, chips, crisps, fizzy drinks and plenty of other bad food choices.
I also see plenty of fat parents inflicting their bad food choices on their children which I my eyes I see as a kind of child abuse. Leaving them to grow up with bad health and depend more on the health care system than they should.
@ Ciaran McCann
may be this report from 2009 by the oireachtas will help you
The WHO reports that raised BMI is a major risk
factor for:
- Cardiovascular diseases (particularly heart
disease and stroke), the leading cause of death
globally in 2008;
- Diabetes;
- Musculoskeletal disorders (especially
osteoarthritis – a highly disabling condition of
the joints);
- Some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon).
“The health and economic impact of this is
considerable. Obesity is linked with physical
and psychological ill-health and premature
death. In Ireland, the costs of related deaths
alone have been estimated at €4 billion per
annum. ”
@Ciaran McCann
LOL
“Why should I now have to walk threw a cloud of smoke just to get into a non smoking pub?”
apart from walking through a cloud of smoke will do you no real harm, you have to walk past this so you can fill your body and liver up with the toxic alcohol poison.
funny , very funny
Who says I drink Simon?
It’s called “Life” Simon! Is food the only reason your list kills you!
Nope and neither is smoking the only thing that kills you ,, its also called life. as you say . and unless you’re going to the pub to work there’s not much else you can do in an irish pub other than drink, but your comment is still funny
“There’s not much else to do in an Irish pub but drink”! I think the last laugh is on you! Maybe you should put that point forward to the Vintners society ! Or second thought, ring all the pubs in Ireland who are notorious for their food and tell them they are wasting their time, effort, staff and money, because there’s not much point! Post what they reply! Now that will be funny!
ahhh .. sorry you got me . yeah you can eat in a pub too while you drink .. whhhoooooo. were saved .. ;-)
Rip Gerry.. Thanks to you and your family for sharing your story.
I spent years and years dreading the thought of quitting the fags. Smokers are led to believe (mostly by ex-smokers !!!) that its the hardest thing you’ll ever do.. It wasnt until i met an ex smoker who said it wasnt hard that i decided to give it a try. She shrugged her shoulders and said it was easy.
So to all smokers out there. Its NOT that painful at all givin them up. Try the patches/e cigs. Once the nicotine is out of your system after a day or so the cravings will stop and you think of them less and less.
@ Sinead I agree
It really is so easy to quit
I wish I had of been brave enough to quit years ago but however I did it nine months ago and it really was easy
He had a difficult fight against his addiction to cigarettes He bravely encouraged others to do so despite his uphill battle against lung cancer May his campaign continue
I knew Gerry quite well in a different capacity and this is very sad news indeed. , rest in peace Gerry
I hope Gerry’s message gets through to people and helps them to give up smoking.
It’s one of the hardest habits to break but believe me folks, if I can give them up anybody can.
Well done mike
His message got to me and I stopped, it really can be done
Gerry, your work here is Done, I’m sure you influnced many to give up smoking. You brave man you can rest now. My thoughts are with you and your family at this sad time.
If I manufactured a Face Cream and had to put a warning on it that it may cause Cancer, you can be bloody sure I’d NEVER make it onto a shop shelf!
So why do we allow Cigarettes to be sold?
RIP Gerry.
Tax.. thats why we allow them to be sold
Very sad news. May he rest in peace. Brave man for doing those ads and I certainly hope they weren’t in vain and it has made people quit.
I quit after listening to Gerry & his daughter on Ray Darcy show. As Sinead said…..not hard, just don’t buy the bloody things again. Thanks & RIP Gerry!
they say its a smart person who learns from their mistakes but I think its a smart person who heads the advice of others and learns from their mistakes and avoid making their own… listen to the advice from Gerry, smoking cost that poor gentleman his life… take the hint… Rest in Peace Gerry.
R.I.P Gerry
I wish my children would give up, for my grandchildren s sake
I met Gerry after his throat cancer, he was training in the boxing gym in Bray…then he told me life was too short. He was training as hard as any of the 20 year olds there. He inspired everyone present and was a constant voice of encouragement driving and pushing you on. I was honoured to meet you Gerry your determination, advice and appreciation of life has always remained with me. Your family, friends and people you touched are no doubt very proud what you have done selflessly for the good of others.
I hope everyone gets the message and how serious smoking is. I admit I was a smoker now i use e- cigs, best thing ever, no desire to smoke again. Condolences to the family of Gerry Collins.
And that a big debate as to whether Ecigs are bad for you too. most professionals will say that they are better but there is no real evidence to back that up. So far some of the tests done on them have found metals contained in the vapour. Copper nickel and tin found in them so far. They are also still a nicotine delivery system. Something your body does not need or require. While you are still addicted to nicotine you are only a flat battery away from smoking a real cigarette.
“While you are still addicted to nicotine you are only a flat battery away from smoking a real cigarette.”
Not quite Simon. I’ve found that the urge to smoke actual cigarettes diminished dramatically after smoking ecigs for a long period of time. I’ve gone through the flat battery phase and didn’t feel the urge for a cigarette. And anyway even a 5 minute charge on a flat battery is enough to deliver the nicotine sufficiently to allay any cravings one may get.
Point being you are still addicted to nicotine, while you might be ok with not smoking or getting your nicotine hit . There are plenty of people i work with who still ask me for a real cig from time to time while they are on the Ecigs. The cigarette companies know this and this is why they are buying up Ecig companies.
As a smoker you might think i’d be all for Ecigs. But I have real issue with companies that market Ecigs to minors and sell them in flavours like milkshake, cookie ect and allow advertising on TV, Really though we were trying to get kids off smoking not replace it with Ecigs. they will still have a nicotine addiction
While there’s no evidence to back it up Gerry, I must say I had been a smoker for 30+ years and since I started using the E-Cig I feel so much better, no more wheezing or coughing continuously in the mornings. When you weigh it up, cigarettes have far more harmful chemicals than the E-Cig. One thing I’m sure of, and that is cigarettes, in my opinion, are much more harmful than the E-Cig so I think I’ll stick with it for now. my next step is quitting full stop.
Sorry Simon the reply was for you I apologize for calling you gerry. I wasn’t really keen on the idea myself of the E-Cig but now I tried it I don’t want another cigarette. I know they’re not proven but you must admit there are far less harmful chemicals in it than a real cig.
A wonderful father and family. The work he did will no doubt save lives. R.I.P.
May he rest in peace
I just hope smokers will try and stop smoking or this lovely guy’s anti smoking campaign will be of no use .
May he rest in peace.
I quit last year with the help of ecigs, 60 a day to zero in one day with no problem, now they want to ban them, what they really want is your taxes so until the revenue can find another source as lucrative as tobacco there won’t be any real help to quit.
It’s unregulated, in many years time we might find that Ecigs are worse than real cigs. you just never know. I agree they should be used as a quitting aid but as a replacement the jury is still out.
Tends to be water vapour and nicotine which is not a cancer causing substance.
But can I ask did you go for those elites njoy or those 50 euro ones? ?
I ask as I want to get for mother.
“tends to be” is a very loose word. Do you really know what your getting in your nicotine bottle seeing as its coming from an unregulated industry? recent studies have found metals like copper, nickel and tin in them.
I tried the elights a couple of times and the patches but found them wanting, then tried the refillable liquid ones with fruit flavours and they worked instantly, started on 1.2mg now down to 0.6/0.3, the fruit flavours stopped any sweets craving that I had with other efforts.
Always get liquids from a trusted European manufacturer as these are QC tested and in my opinion are quite safe.
I think they should go about teaching the dangers to young kids and everyone really a different way. See kids and young people think they are invincible and that all the health risks won’t apply to them for 30/40 years so they zone out-I know cause that’s what I did at that age. They should be told the risks and then at the end when they’re starting to look bored, ask one for a €10 note. Then set fire to it and tell them that your going to come back tomorrow and take another tenner off them and burn that one too and your going to keep doing that for the rest of their lives which might be short cos they’re going to die early. That will have them listening.
I agree entirely Rebecca – great suggestion. It is in most cases learned behaviour – from adults – Parents – Uncles – Aunts – Brother – Sisters etc.
Kids generally, will take more notice of someone who isn’t a smoker , otherwise , who is fooling who ? if it’s an existing smoker that lectures them!
So , isn’t it really for the sake of our Children and our Grandchildren , that we set examples in life .
In the meantime Gerry , rest easy – you have raised a great debate and your message is slowly but surely getting through to people , as a result . RIP.
its about stopping kids for sure, next to nobody starts in their 20′s so the key thing for parents is to be all over this like wet on water.
I think there should be a effort to stop people picking it up between ages 18 and 24 say – people who had the sense not to smoke in school, either because none of their friends did or because of fear of consequences, or fear of their parents or teachers etc., but who once they started drinking they gradually got addicted to smoking on nights out.
I have a few friends who, while in secondary school, would have been the last people you would imagined smoking but are now addicted as a result of smoking on nights out, whether to quell awkwardness while trying it on with somebody, enjoying cigarettes more while drinking, feeling like they can label themselves a “social smoker” and get away with not being considered a full smoker and not get addicted etc… I think a higher percentage of people smoking at, say, 30 years of age took up the habit between 18 and 24 than is normally supposed.
Problem with cancer cis you never really get the all clear. It’s always going to come back.
When will we have a cure when will we be albe to stop this heartache on families
Beannact Dé lena anam dílis.
I only knew you from the telly Gerry but you were a brave man . RIP
Rest in peace Gerry after watching the advert you appeared in ,I decided to give up cigarettes the advert brought home to me , if I smoked for much longer I may not get to see my children grow up ,I am off them seven weeks to day thank you Gerry.
Patrick.. Well done..
That’s brilliant :)
Brave man! RIP
You fought a mighty battle Gerry, and in doing so have helped many to join The Quit Campaign. I am one who would like to Thank You for all your hard and devoted work both as a mentor on and off the field and a role model to everyone who has had the pleasure in knowing you and meeting you. Till we meet again, RIP, sleep well.
RIP Gerry, you were truly inspiring! Good on you.
God rest him, his struggle is over…take note people smoking wrecks lives..
R.I.P. Brave man showing how cancer due to smoking ruined his life. Hopefully even 1 person stoping as a result would have made him and his family proud of his participation. Thoughts with his family.
RIP
Free patches for six months then ban cigs….. end of.
lol. Id get in the smuggling business myself
I worked with Gerry for over a year back in 2000/01. He was my boss. He was a fantastic guy, very motivational and a true mentor. He was also a great craic, full of banter and definitely one of the lads. RIP Gerry, you will be greatly misssed by everyone that knew you….
RIP Gerry x
I saw his interview on the Saturday night show and the next day I gave up. Rip what a brave man.
I too worked with Gerry in 2000. He was a real motivation, very generous and one of life’s natural leaders. Am truly saddened to hear of his death and am thinking of his family and friends at such a sad time. RIP Gerry. X
I have given up the fags since the add
Rest in peace Gerry.
Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a anam dhílis
I played GAA with and against him when i lived in IRL .Foxy ,Gerry and I smoked, drank and partied after games in the 80′s and thought we were invincible .Gerry had that drive and determination,no matter what had just befallen him and anyone who worked in Ireland in the 80′s will remember the 14% interest rates , the appalling unemployment and consequent limited job opportunities ..but he just kept being Gerry ..I envied him and his charismatic personality .
If Delly does get to read this ,I am truly saddened at his departure and your loss .. a very large part of the Universe has been unequivocally disturbed and the world is a lesser place without him.
Reading all the comments i can honestly say i know people that have never drank or smoked and have died from lung cancer.So its not fully cigs are to blame.My dad died from lung cancer in dec 13 he was 68 years old.He was off the cigs for 3 years before he was diagonised.He was stage 2b which is quiet curable.But then he got COPD from smoking thats where the problem lies.If you give up ciggs after smoking for a no off years you have already done the damage it is not reversable.I am writting this comment on my own experiences with my dad.Thank god i never smoked but i can never say i will never get lung cancer.Its a lot off different things that cause lung cancer and other different cancers.For example our ozone layer the food we eat our life styles etc etc.RIP Gerry.
I really don’t think this is the place to be arguing over which is worse, which is more dangerous etc. This is an article about a man that has died, show some respect.
Rest in peace. Condolences to your family.
after smoking for 44yrs the first time i saw the add with jerry his beautiful eyes pot through to me i dunno why i had two fags left in a box i smoked one and 16mts later the second one is still in the box tHank you Jerry xx
I still see these ads now in 2017 and never fail to be moved by Gerry. My husband is trying hard to give up smoking and I know this campaign really caught his attention. Thank you to Gerry and the Collins family xx
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