A visitor examines a set of pig lungs Thursday at UT Health East Texas’ Great American Smokeout event. One lung was a healthy, non-smoker lung, and the other represented what a smoker’s lung would look like after 20 years. The lung demonstrated how much of an effect smoking has on the body.

A set of pig lungs were the main attraction Thursday at UT Health East Texas’ Great American Smokeout event, which challenged smokers to give up smoking for 24 hours.

The lungs were displayed on a table for an education demonstration. One lung was a healthy, non-smoker lung, and the other represented what a smoker’s lung would look like after 20 years. The smoker lung was black and shocked participants on how much of an impact smoking has on the body.

Misty Lewis, lung nodule program manager and nurse in the pulmonary clinic at UT Health East Texas, was on site to educate attendees.

“The size of these lungs is anybody who is around the age of 13, that is the actual size, however, the damage to the smoker’s lung is somebody that has smoked at least 20 years, a pack of cigarettes a day,” she said.

The Great American Smokeout is a national event hosted by the American Cancer Society. It’s held on the third Thursday in November with the intent of inspiring smokers to claim it as the day they stop smoking.

Thousands of smokers across the U.S. use the event to take an important step toward a healthier life and to reduce the risk of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Lewis said the lung demonstration can be scary to look at because it’s something that isn’t visible.

“We can’t see our lungs. You don’t know that you have the damage until it starts occurring. A lot of times, around 20 years, that’s when a person starts to feel that damage,” Lewis said, such as when a person is short of breath when trying to walk up stairs or being winded quickly while going on a jog.

Kimberly Greenlee, research coordinator at the pulmonary clinic at the UT Health Science Center at Tyler, said she has seen a lot of patients who have trouble breathing, even as young as in their early 40s, because of their smoking history.

“This event is really important because they can see the lungs, they can see how bad smoking impacts their lungs. It also helps them quit and get over this habit,” Greenlee said at Thursday’s event, which also offered resources on tobacco cessation.

Pokey O’s Ice Cream was on site serving dessert for attendees and gift cards and rewards were also given to those who entered a drawing.

Those who want to quit smoking can always talk to their physician about options and free services to help quit smoking. Tobacco-Free Northeast Texas (T-NET) offers support to those who want to stop using tobacco or nicotine products that are hard to give up.

Those who reach out will receive free counseling by phone or text, available in English and in Spanish, and free medicines to help stop using those products mailed directly. They will also have the option to repeat the program if they’re not successful the first time.

For more information, call the T-NET hotline at 713-794-3175 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.