[Dr. Eckleburg]

The exact same thing happened to my father; he died of lung cancer six months after quitting smoking. He was only 54.

It may be that people who can finally kick the smoking habit are already sick even though they haven't been diagnosed yet, and so they're more likely to be able to resist the habit.

I don't know. It certainly was strange and a terrible way to die.

[Trailerpark Badass]

It may be that people who can finally kick the smoking habit are already sick even though they haven't been diagnosed yet, and so they're more likely to be able to resist the habit.

Certainly that's possible, except that, given the length of time my father smoked (probably closer to 50 years), it is probably statistically more probable that the disease would have become apparent while he was still smoking, not shortly thereafter. Also, my father didn't have breathing troubles or any other significant health problems. He was actually quite healthy for a 67 year-old.