Ha, I quit the same way

except I wasn't in the hospital.
I had really bad bronchitis and I went to the doctor and he said "you don't smoke do you?" and I said "yes", so he said "why don't you quit" and I said "OK" and I did. It really hurt to breathe, much less try to smoke a cigarette.
Congrats to you on quitting. Smoking killed my dad, so I'm always glad when someone quits.
WooHoo for you!!!
As for your friend? I don't know. Can you give him a case of bronchitis? (just kidding of course).
Maybe a story of what a terrible death it is.
My dad started smoking when he was 12. He was 68 when he died. For about 10 years prior to his death, he had emphysema and could not really do any physical activity. For the last 5 years of his life he was on oxygen and could barely walk around his house to do just basic things (cook food, go to the bathroom). The night I took him to the hospital, he was having a really hard time breathing. They gave him a breathing treatment, then he passed out and they had to put a tube down his throat. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital before he passed away, on a ventilator. It really is not a pleasant way to die (if there is such a thing).
Good luck to you. I hope you can persuade him to quit.