14 DAY TRIAL // Leonard Nimoy, best known to “Star Trek” fans for his portrayal of Spock, the Vulcan on the Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk’s command, is using his Trekkie platform to ring the alarm on the dangers of smoking. At the same time, he reveals his own lung disease diagnosis.
Some days ago, Nimoy was photographed at LAX being wheeled around in a wheelchair, with an oxygen tank on his lap to help him breathe. He also looked particularly frail, and fans immediately started wondering about his health and whether it had taken a turn for the worse.
On Twitter, the star himself explains the photos, saying he’s been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, triggered by his years-long smoking addiction.
“I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP [Long Live And Prosper,” Nimoy says.
With just a few words, the actor is basically using the huge platform that has been made available to him thanks to his work on the original “Star Trek” series to let his millions of fans know that there’s never such a thing as “too soon” to kick the bad habit of smoking.
If a Vulcan wasn’t safe from the negative effects of smoking, there’s no reason to imagine regular humans would be, so quit now.
“COPD is a disease that makes it increasingly difficult to breathe, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,” Yahoo! Celebrity explains.
“Patients who have it often have the conditions of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and experience tightening of the chest, shortness of breath, and other symptoms. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD, which is now the third leading cause of death in the United States,” the report adds.
In between sharing with the world this diagnosis and promoting various, very admirable causes on his Twitter, Nimoy is also keeping typically busy by tweeting on all current topics, including Bruno Mars’ Super Bowl 2014 Halftime performance. He agrees with the rest of the world on that it was spectacular.