Magicians urge kids not to start smoking

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Area kids were treated to a special magic show with a message last week as the “Just Say MOE” came to Rainy River.
Magicians Bob and Cheryl Yelland from Niagara Falls, Ont., perform as Maxwell and Ta-dah respectively. Besides the tricks they do on stage their magic’s main message is about the cons of smoking and its effects on a person’s health.
Their reasons for doing this show over the past nine years is a very personal one. Bob is a lung disease survivor. In 1996 he was diagnosed with a rare form of lung disease, directly attributable to his smoking habit; which he started at the age of 9 years of age. “I smoked a pack a day until I was 35 and diagnosed,” said Bob.
When he became sick he was very very afraid. “It was so scary. I could not breath.” Because of that his blood oxygen levels dropped so low that he nearly had a heart attack. Bob reached the point where both he and Cheryl thought he might die.
While in the hospital something happened to him. Thinking over and over again what had happened to him he had what he calls “Divine intervention.”
A furnace mechanic by trade and a hobby magician, Bob decided to pitch an idea to Cheryl who was a full time social worker. “She loved it and we both quit our jobs to do this show.”
The magic show with a message has the message right in its name. “Just Say M.O.E.” means:
M-Making the right choice
O-Opportunity of a lifetime
E-Everyday is a smoke-free day
Bob said he pretty much wrote the script for the entire show from his hospital bed and when he recovered he (Maxwell) and Cheryl (Ta-Dah) took the show and the message on the road. “To date we have reached over 230,000 kids in Ontario.
Telling the kids his story and that he only has 70% lung capacity now, Maxwell tells them, “If you never start, you never have to quit.”
Using graphic pictures and props, the pair of magicians hope that their message will help make some smoking disappear before it appears.
“If we just reach one person and get them not to start we have done our job,” said Maxwell.
The previous week Maxwell and Ta-Dah visited Rainy River to do a more mature show for the high school kids. Using hypnosis Maxwell delivered much the same message to them.
Both visits were sponsored by the Northwestern Health Unit and the Ontario Tobacco Free Network.