BUFFALO, N.Y. — For Bruce Gonka, his granddaughter Gracie is a big part of his life.

"We’ll play catch, we’ll read," said Gonka, who recently quit smoking with the help of New York State Quitline.

But Gracie is also a big part of his recovery.

"I started smoking when I was 16 because it was ‘cool'," he said. "You smoked at your desk. You smoked in the cafeteria. Even earlier than that you smoked in the grocery store. You’re walking down to produce and you got a cigarette in your mouth."

What You Need To Know

  • Quitting smoking is not an easy task, but quitting can have so many benefits ranging from heart health to the way you smell

  • After putting down your last cigarette, your body will see immediate benefits such as a regulation of your heatbeat within minutes

  • The New York State Quitline has many resources available to support those who are choosing to quit smoking

"You think, 'Oh, its just a few minutes,' but cigarette after cigarette after cigarette after day after day, year after year, that's where you add all that up, that's where this new research is estimating 10 or 11 life years of life lost on average," Dr. Andrew Hyland of the NYS Quitline said.

But even for lifelong smokers, it’s not too late to undo damage.

"Our research and the research of others shows that it’s never too late to quit," Hyland said. "In fact if you quit before 35 or so, even if you’ve smoked up to that point, you can basically eliminate any excess health risk."

Those over the age of 40 can also still get benefits from quitting smoking. And according to health experts, those benefits come quicker than you may think.

"Generally after that last cigarette, within minutes as the nicotine exits the body and its kind of metabolized, you’ll see a regulation of your heartbeat and your blood pressure to be more normal," said Hyland.

Your heart and blood pressure will begin to regulate and become more normal almost immediately after your last cigarette. While lung function can take a little bit longer to heal, it can begin to improve just a few days.

"For people who have quit smoking for five years or more will see their risks for heart disease or lung cancer being to approach that of somebody that’s never smoked," Hyland said.

Each cigarette takes more than just 20 minutes of your life, according to research, making today the best time to quit.

"You’re not only losing years of life, but it's years of quality life," Hyland said. "The sooner you quit the better and the greater the benefit."