ReachNYC Digital

Chances are you've never seen Ronaldo Martinez, or maybe even heard of him...but one thing for sure, He's got New York's attention with his anti-smoking ads.

"I was 39 when I got throat cancer from smoking cigarettes," Martinez says in one commercial. "I almost died. Now there is a permanent hole in my throat."

Martinez walks around with a white bib, which he lifts to reveal the hole in his throat. Some people are shocked, some are scared-straight, but one thing for sure, the ad has affected everyone who's encountered it in some shape or form. The Health Department says it has recieved 15,000 calls about quitting smoking since airing the commercial, compared to 5,000 this time last year. Cigarettes are the worst drug to ever hit the market, as bad as any other illegal drug is, it's not as easily accessable as tobacco, and one things for sure, no one profits more off death than big tobacco companies...well maybe this guy but that's another story. New York's department of Health has many tips and resources to help smokers quit, visit them here and quit smoking today!