Click here to visit the new home of that's fit!

Hot on HuffPost Healthy Living:

AOL.com
MAIL

En Español

That's Fit

Send Feedback

He has no voice, but he's been telling thousands to quit smoking

Posted on Jul 21st 2007 6:00PM by Rigel Celeste

Filed Under: Celebs & Entertainment

Ronald Martinez has become a celebrity in New York City, but not for reasons he would have wished for. Ronald Martinez was a smoker, and he had to have his larynx removed due to throat cancer. His story, told in his own words through the artificial voice box he now needs to communicate, has been enough to frighten thousands of New Yorkers into quitting smoking. The campaign, entitled "Nothing Will Ever Be the Same," has made quite the impact with 92% of New York citizens reporting they've seen at least one of the anti-smoking ads.

As successful as it's been, the Ronald Martinez anti-smoking campaign may or may not continue in the future, as the direction of New York's anti-smoking efforts are up for review and they are "looking at all options." What do you think -- time to move on to something new and fresh or stick with something that has worked in the past?

Source

5 Comment

Tags: cancer, cigarette, cigarettes, martinez, nicotine, quit, quit smoking, QuitSmoking, quitting smoking, QuittingSmoking, ronaldo martinez, RonaldoMartinez, smoke, smoking, tobacco

Around the Web

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

red 7-22-2007 @ 9:25PM

yes......smoking isnt good for ur health....but Drs. cant prove smoking causes cancer,only that it COULD cause it....but then again there r so many things that we do and eat and drink that Drs. say may cause cancer....so where do we start and end.......

Rose 8-08-2007 @ 2:35PM

If there had been someone like Mr. Martinez doing anti-smoking commercials years ago, my 42-year-old uncle may not have died of lung cancer. I commend him for taking what was negative in his life and making a positive contribution to society by urging others not to follow in his footsteps. More power (and good health) to him!

Joe 8-14-2007 @ 3:47PM

People like this are now needed in China, Japan, and other populated countries where big business is now lying to them about the effects of smoking.

wendy 8-13-2007 @ 11:14PM

if they would make it affordable to buy the quit smoking gum and patches more people could try or want to quit, 35 bucks for gum is hard to swallow..

Pinky 8-14-2007 @ 12:32AM

I want to know with the humongous taxes on cigarettes, supposedly to make them too expensive and smokers will quit, what is that money actually being used for? Is it used for research to find a really good idea or medication to HELP smokers quit without it costing a small fortune?? NO!! Why isn't it?? This should be the only reason for the taxes, that is if lawmakers were really serious about doing something positive so smokers could quit. Those of us who as teens in the 1950's were tricked into smoking by ads, movies, all the adults around us and let's not forget the cigarette companies themselves who pushed nicotine on the young and impressionable, were sabotaged into this grievous habit and are now looked down on and spurned by everyone around us
because we were trapped into a habit that no one of the time, except the cigarette companies, knew was dangerous and not the grown-up, glamorous, ok thing to do, that they led us to believe. Is anyone out there listening?????