Doctors sewed Jim Hahn back together like he was Frankenstein.

After removing the skin underneath his tongue, part of his jaw and the lymph nodes in his neck, doctors used bone and skin from his forearm to rebuild the bottom of his mouth and his jaw.

They transferred an artery from his arm to replace an artery in his neck.

To repair the missing skin on his arm, surgeons took a piece of skin from his thigh.

"I was still trying to recover from being cut head to toe when they sent me to chemo and radiation," said Hahn, 33, who was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in April 2007. "I was horribly, horribly sick. It was a nightmare."

Never did the Diamondville police chief think a little can of Copenhagen would result in this ordeal.

The emotional and financial turmoil after the surgery was almost worse than the physical pain. Even today, his cancer cell counts remain "really high."

Even after enduring surgery, chemotherapy, medical bankruptcy and a divorce, cancer caused by chewing tobacco still might kill Hahn.

He's fighting it, though. He works out more, eats healthy and has been tobacco-free since May 3, 2007.

"If cancer is going to whip me, it's not going to do it today," Hahn said.

Hahn now shares his story with students. He isn't afraid to go out into the community and say, "Look at my scars."

As chewing tobacco companies step up their advertising campaigns to young people and smokeless tobacco use among Wyoming middle and high school students remains well above the national average, the Wyoming Department of Health said it could use more people like Hahn.

The health department is switching gears and beginning to concentrate more on people who chew tobacco instead of just smokers.

About 21 percent of male students use chewing tobacco, while the national average is 13.6 percent, said Sylvia Bagdonas with the state's tobacco prevention program.

"When you look at some states, chewing tobacco is not even on their radar," Bagdonas said.

In 2007, more than 7 percent of girls in the state chewed while the national average was about 2 percent, Bagdonas said.

Tobacco companies now make bubblegum- and cherry-flavored tobacco, said Kathi Wilson, the state's tobacco cessation coordinator.

"There's so much emphasis on quitting smoking," Wilson said. "But you can go to work with a little spit can and a little Skoal. If you are good at hiding it, people will never know."

Some smokers are switching to smokeless tobacco because they think it's safer, Wilson said. Chew contains the No. 1 cancer-causing agent, and it's absorbed directly into the blood stream.

Also, one can has the same amount of nicotine as four packs of cigarettes.

"It's a cowboy way of life," Wilson said. "A rule. Generations have done it."

Hahn chewed for the first time when he was 9 after stealing tobacco from his dad's Skoal can. At 15, he started smoking, too. Hahn knew it was probably bad for him, but never quite comprehended the dangers.

In the fall of 2006, Hahn noticed a painful bump under his tongue. He ignored it.

In April 2007, Hahn had a cold he couldn't shake, so he went to see his doctor. While there, he asked the doctor to take a look at the bump.

"They did a biopsy that day, and it kind of spooked me," Hahn said. Four days later Hahn was diagnosed with head and neck cancer and scheduled for emergency surgery at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

He was there for three months receiving chemotherapy and radiation.

"I don't know how I made it through the treatment," Hahn said. "I just wanted to die."

After leaving the hospital, Hahn's problems continued. He started receiving medical bills asking for thousands of dollars. His surgery alone cost almost $1 million. Hahn filed for medical bankruptcy.

And while he still struggles physically and emotionally and the cancer remains, Hahn has found his way ushering in a "new wave of cowboys" who don't chew or smoke.

"When you deal with something like this on a personal basis, you feel obligated to spread the word," Hahn said. "I want to tell them what I went through and to never jeopardize their future on what's cool."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.

* More than 8,000 calls were made to Wyoming's tobacco Quitline in 2007, ranking Wyoming No. 1 for proportion of calls compared to population. However, only 337 of these calls were for smokeless tobacco.

* For help quitting chewing tobacco or smoking, contact the tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or log onto http:wy.quitnet.com.

* The Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program is the only state program offering all forms of nicotine replacement therapy including patches, gum, lozenges and prescription drugs, such as Wellbutrin and Chantix.]]->