Source: Alexandria (LA) Town Talk
Date: 2010-02-16

A woman with smoking-related lung disease fears for her life. A
young boy longs for the company of his grandpa. A man has to live
the rest of his life with a hole in his throat due to throat
cancer.

These are just a few of the people featured in The Rapides
Foundation\\\\\\\'s "Faces of Tobacco," a new campaign that highlights
real people who have been affected by tobacco use. The campaign,
which runs from now through November, is designed to demonstrate
the far-reaching effects of tobacco use.

"We wanted to show that tobacco use affects more than just the
tobacco user," said Joe Rosier, president and CEO of The Rapides
Foundation. "The nine people we are featuring in \\\\\\\'Faces of
Tobacco\\\\\\\' had their lives turned upside down because of tobacco.
The sad fact is that tobacco use is the single most preventable
cause of disease and death in the United States."

"Faces of Tobacco" is a component of the Foundation\\\\\\\'s Tobacco
Prevent and Control Initiative. . . .

Julie lost her dad at a young age to lung cancer caused by
smoking. She tears up when she recalls the special song that he
wrote about her and used to sing to her.

Victor Crawford knows all about the deceptive tactics of the
tobacco industry. He used to be a tobacco lobbyist. After he was
diagnosed with throat cancer, he exposed the industry and
expressed guilt for its lies and deception, particularly for
targeting young people. "One thing\\\\\\\'s perfectly clear to me: the
tobacco companies are after children. Why? Because tobacco
companies know that 90 percent of smokers start as children,
before they know better." Crawford died on March 2, 1996.