“Smoking has robbed me of my parents. Don’t let it rob your loved ones of you,” says Catherine Cridland who has lost both parents to smoking-caused disease.
“I’d ask smokers to think about the grief they would cause their families if they continued to smoke.
“My parents won’t be here to see me walk down the aisle. Sometimes, something amazing will happen and I’ll go to ring my mum and I remember that I can’t call her,” she says.
It is this real and raw emotion that lies at the heart of the latest advertisement from Cancer Council Victoria called Last Dance. The ad’s inspiration is drawn from people such as Catherine Cridland and other family members, as well from recent quitters.
A report shows that 2 in 5 recent quitters said anti-smoking TV campaigns were second only to the cost of cigarettes in helping to quit. Other motivators included smokefree bans, advice from health professionals and graphic health warnings.
Quit Victoria Executive Director Fiona Sharkie says the advertising campaign packs an emotional punch but reflects the fact that one in two long-term smokers will die of a smoking-caused disease.
Half of those would die in middle age, at a time when many people still have children living at home.
“With the number of people who die each year due to smoking, this is a scene that is being played out in lounge rooms,” she said.
“This campaign is a powerful reminder for smokers that your smoking doesn’t just affect you. It affects your family too.
“But what will be doesn’t have to be. You can quit today and avoid the devastating consequences of leaving it too late to quit.”
One in five cancer deaths are caused by smoking – which means that one in five deaths from cancer is preventable.
“We’re committed to the fight against cancer and to making these hard-hitting campaigns which we know help to reduce the incidence of smoking-caused disease” said Cancer Council Victoria CEO, Todd Harper.
The advertisement was made with the support of the Victorian Government which has contributed $9.2 million this financial year to support quit smoking programs, anti-smoking advertising and education and enforcement activities.
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