My boyfriend has had a bad cough for about 3 weeks now. One night, about one week ago, he had a really bad coughing fit - he coughed up food, and a little bit of blood. There hasn't been any more blood since, but he keeps coughing, and he's worried and so am I. He doesn't like going to doctors, so I'm looking for any answers I can find. What might this be?

I don't know if this information is relevant, but just in case - he's nineteen, about average weight, and pretty healthy. He used to smoke (for 2-3 years), but not at all heavily and he quit about a year ago.