The Choice to Quit: Fred's Solution — WakeMed

Approximately 35 years ago, when Fred Goodwin was living in London, he would smoke a single cigar, usually during the day, when taking a break from work. Back in those days, it was also legal to smoke in the pubs in London.

Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, Fred was working from his North Carolina home. The ease of access to take a break, enjoy an espresso and smoke a cigar whilst reading, listening to a podcast or simply sitting enjoying a cigar — turned a diversion into an addiction or a compulsion. 

"I did not smoke a cigar because I wanted to but because I had to satisfy my craving for nicotine. I did not like the idea that nicotine addiction was making choices for me. What began as an enjoyable habit became a compulsive addiction, and I started to recognize that for the first time."

Armed with this awareness, Fred visited his WakeMed primary care physician Swapna Chenna, MD, to discuss his concerns. She referred him to Quit With WakeMed - Tobacco Cessation Program.

Fred initially met Stacy Thiedeman, PA-C of Quit With WakeMed via a video call in June 2025. She outlined a strategy of wearing of a nicotine patch and tapering off the number of cigars — which, at the time, was three per day.

Complimentary of her skills, Fred shares, "Stacy was absolutely the right person for the job. She was always positive, a good listener, excellent at encouraging, never preachy, but extremely helpful at setting short-term goals and helping me to be accountable to those goals. Her constant refrain was 'you’re doing great.' Plus, there was an intangible positive connection between our personalities, which helped. I genuinely liked her on a personal level."

Fred continued to receive medical support through video visits, and in October 2025, he quit. 

"I would not say it was either emotional or meaningful; it just was what it was," Fred reflects. "I would say the major emotions were from family; they were very thrilled. For me, it was the end result of setting a path — a set of incremental, achievable goals. Once I stopped, it was always and remains one day at time. Initially, I would tell myself: 'No cigar today.' I would ask myself, 'Can I go without a cigar tomorrow?' Now, I don’t think about it much, but I am equally frightened by the addiction and its power. That is probably the greatest incentive to keep me off cigars."

To celebrate his success, Fred enjoyed lunch and with his wife, CJ, and Stacy Thiedeman.

Late the following winter, on Friday, March 13, 2026, he retired from work and took up pickleball.

"I am nursing a knee injury currently, but I'm sure my primary care physician, Dr. Chenna would report that my health is improved since quitting smoking."

Looking back, Fred credits Stacy Thiedeman with being the exact person he needed to stop an unhealthy habit.

"When it came down to selecting the person that would help me walk through it," Fred shares, "I chose Stacy. We attended the same postsecondary school, and with that, I thought to myself, 'Why not her?' She has the perfect set of attributes for this task — never preachy, always encouraging, yet stressing that by working together, incremental goals are achievable. If I were scoring Stacy on a scale of 1 – 10, she gets a 10." 

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