Diseased Ex-Smokers Ad For New Campaign To Motivate Others To Quit

Diseased ex-smokers are shown in the second round of graphic ad campaign on Thursday believing the last effort convinced tens of thousands to quit.

The ads feature real-life stories of Terrie Hall, a North Carolina woman, Bill, a diabetic smoker from Michigan and Aden, a 7-year-old boy who has asthma attacks from secondhand smoke.

"Most smokers want to quit. These ads encourage them to try," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The campaign this year cost slightly less than last year, $48 million and includes, TV, radio and online spots as well as print ads and billboards. The CDC estimates that about 85 percent of smokers will see them at least once a week through June.

The 16-week campaign like last year, features real people that were hurt and disfigured by smoking such as Hall, a throat cancer survivor who had her larynx removed and now speaks via a hands-free device through a hole or stoma in her neck.

In the new ad, Hall speaks to the camera through the buzzing sound of her electrolarynx saying, "My grandson has never heard my real voice. I don't even remember what my own voice sounds like."

Anti-smoking advocates applaud the return of the campaign as they say that tobacco companies spend more on tobacco product promotion in a week than the CDC spends in a year.

"There is an urgent need to continue this campaign," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in a statement.