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» A AMC MAGA Z I N E | L AT E F A L L 2 014
Personality Plus
As AAMC’s director of engineering, Tony
Kuzawinski is responsible for plant operations,
maintenance and facilities. On a typical day,
you’ll find him all over AAMC’s medical park
campus going to and from meetings and
inspections that help ensure a safe environment
for patients, families and employees.
One day, he noticed he was having trouble
keeping up with his boss, who always takes
the stairs.
“We’d go up a couple flights of stairs and it
felt like my heart was coming out of my chest,”
says the 36-year-old who had been a pack-a-day
smoker since age 14. “It would take me several
minutes to catch my breath and be able to talk.
When alone, I’d take the elevator.”
Tony had tried to quit smoking several times,
including three years ago when his daughter was
born. Then, in early 2014, AAMC announced
that starting July 2015 it would not hire people
who use tobacco. Although the new policy
would not affect him, it hit a nerve.
“I found myself defending the policy with
family and friends about how it’s about helping
people live healthier,” says Tony, who lives in
Catonsville. Finally, a friend challenged him to
practice what he preached: quit smoking once
and for all.
So he did. Tony chose June 20—his
birthday—as the day he would stop smoking.
And he hasn’t looked back.
“I wanted to do it—for my wife, for my kids
and for my health,” he says.
Since Tony quit, his blood pressure has
returned to normal. He can run up five flights
of stairs and no longer gets winded carrying his
kids up to bed at night. And he’s inspired some
of his colleagues to quit.
In the
“Little things
make a big
difference.
Make up your
mind and do it.”
— Tony Kuzawinski
Hot
Seat
A free booklet can help you break the habit once and for all. Visit
askAAMC.org/Magazine
or call
443-481-5555
to request yours.
Accepting the challenge to quit smoking
