CLEVELAND -- One of the worst things you can do for you heart is smoke.

Quitting can be a very tough thing to do, and NewsChannel5 met one Northfield Woman who managed to quit after 52 years of smoking.

Marcella and Larry Lucketti have a lot of history. They've been married for 50 years, a marriage that has lasted, in part, because they have so much in common.

One of the many things they've enjoyed doing together over the years is smoking.

But now when it's time for a smoke, Larry's on his own; Marcella watches from the window.

The 72-year-old has lost her desire to smoke, courtesy of cardio-thoracic surgery.

Dr. Jerry Goldstone of University Hospitals' heart and vascular institute repaired her aortic aneurysm.

He said many of his patients are smokers.

"Well, there used to be a saying in our field that 80 percent of our patients are smokers and the other 20 percent were liars, but actually now people are quitting and the number of actual smokers is probably around 40 percent," said Goldstone.

Goldstone said smoking damages your heart and blood vessel function, but it can also impair your ability to heal after surgery.

It is never too late to quit, and Goldstone said a lot of his patients do.

"Sometimes I tell them the most important thing I've done for them is get them to quit smoking in addition to what the operation was designed to accomplish," said Goldstone.

Marcella has not picked up a cigarette since her surgery last September, but she's looked at them.

She needs to be able to see the same half-a-pack sitting on the table.

"I just want to see them there. And if you throw them away, I'll go buy a pack to put back in there," she said.

But anyone who thinks that's a sign she'll start again is underestimating the former smoker.

"I'm very proud and I won't pick up another cigarette," she said.

Marcella has tried many times to quit before, but never even made it through one day.

Doctors say it often takes a life-changing event like cardiovascular surgery to give them the motivation they need.

For more information on women and heart health go to Newsnet5.com's Go Red For Women page.