It would stand to reason, any long time smoker will have many medical conditions. All the more reason to quit. Let her ask her PCP about combining the patch with Chantix and/or Zyban.
She has serious and long-term conditions that are completely unrelated to smoking.
Considering that she has tried to quit in the past, I have no doubt that she has discussed some of these options with her doctors. Nonetheless, I will mention these to her when I next speak to her.
The Wolf