Agatha Samuels, 95, and smoking for 85 years

Agatha Thomas Samuels, 95, has been smoking for 85 years, and her doctor is now telling her not to quit.

She now lives in Maroon Town, Jamaica, and is approaching her 100th birthday. Agatha Samuels, 95, has no intention of giving up this habit that has been a part of her life for most of her life: smoking. Even with her children and loved ones protesting, the elderly woman won’t stop.

Standing at just 4 feet 7 inches tall, Agatha Samuels insists that her doctor tells her her journey to her 100th birthday would have been shorter if she had given up her pipe sooner. «When I go to the doctor, he tells me I shouldn’t quit smoking, because if I do, I’m done for,» she said told the Jamaica Observer.

Agatha Samuels started taking a few puffs when her parents, Mayron Lewis and Richard Thomas—both smokers—introduced her to the habit. She was happy to light her parents« pipes, but she also smoked on her own, without her parents knowing.

She continued to smoke throughout elementary school and middle school. And by the time she had her ninth child—seven of whom are still alive—there was no reason to quit. Even when she sold goods outside the neighborhood school or worked in a banana packing plant, she was known as the «pipe lady» who never gave up her habit.

Strangely enough, her husband of more than 50 years, Martel Samuels, has always stayed away from that habit.

«He never smoked; the only thing he did was drink beer, but he never forced me to quit,» she said of her husband, who died eight years ago at the age of 100 years, 6 months, and 12 days.

Agatha smokes to relax and to have a clear head. But not everyone in her circle agrees with her. Pressure from her family—especially her daughter—has encouraged her to cut back. They’ve reached a compromise: one session a day, a far cry from the days when Agatha used to smoke nonstop for hours on end.

We hope he kicks the bucket as late as possible!