Ronaldo Martinez
Encyclopedia
Ronaldo Martinez is a cancer
survivor who appeared in a series of much-publicized anti-smoking television commercials in the Northeastern United States
. The commercials, originally produced and broadcast in Massachusetts in 2000 and reprised by The New York City Health Department in 2006, gained notoriety for their graphic depiction of Martinez's life after throat cancer.
Martinez was 39 when he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer
, according to one of the commercials. He had his larynx removed and, as a result, requires an artificial voice box in order to talk. The procedure left him with a permanent hole in the middle of his throat. Martinez currently lives in the Bronx in New York City, having moved from Puerto.
campaign was produced by Geovision and consisted of eight 30-second commercials filmed in Boston. A number of them featured Martinez's post-cancer day-to-day struggles. They premiered on Massachusetts
stations on September 20, 2000 in both English and Spanish and targeted blacks and minorities. The most notorious of these shows Martinez cleaning the hole in his throat with a cotton swab.
The commercials began airing in New York
in early 2006 as part of the city Health Department's new anti-smoking campaign.
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
survivor who appeared in a series of much-publicized anti-smoking television commercials in the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
. The commercials, originally produced and broadcast in Massachusetts in 2000 and reprised by The New York City Health Department in 2006, gained notoriety for their graphic depiction of Martinez's life after throat cancer.
Martinez was 39 when he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer
Cancer of the larynx
Laryngeal cancer may also be called cancer of the larynx or laryngeal carcinoma. Most laryngeal cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, reflecting their origin from the squamous cells which form the majority of the laryngeal epithelium....
, according to one of the commercials. He had his larynx removed and, as a result, requires an artificial voice box in order to talk. The procedure left him with a permanent hole in the middle of his throat. Martinez currently lives in the Bronx in New York City, having moved from Puerto.
Anti-smoking commercials
The public servicePublic service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
campaign was produced by Geovision and consisted of eight 30-second commercials filmed in Boston. A number of them featured Martinez's post-cancer day-to-day struggles. They premiered on Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
stations on September 20, 2000 in both English and Spanish and targeted blacks and minorities. The most notorious of these shows Martinez cleaning the hole in his throat with a cotton swab.
The commercials began airing in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in early 2006 as part of the city Health Department's new anti-smoking campaign.