Michael suffers from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which makes it harder for a person to breathe and can cause death. In this video from CDC's "Tips From Former Smokers" campaign, Michael talks about how he wishes he had never started smoking, and the damage it caused to his lungs. He describes waking up one morning unable to breathe and having to go to the hospital. He also talks about the pain his condition has brought to his family. Comments on this video are allowed in accordance with our comment policy: http://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Tools/CommentPolicy.html This video can also be viewed at http://streaming.cdc.gov/vod.php?id=0a3559e7fad122e5552632be39ef41f620130605130331890