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Debi Austin (April 13, 1950 – February 22, 2013) was a pioneering anti-smoking advocate, appearing in anti-tobacco ads that aired in California starting in 1996.
In 1992, she was diagnosed with
"Voicebox" ad
where she is talking to the viewer then smokes through her
Early life and education
Born Deborah Austin on April 13, 1950 in Illinois, she moved to Los Angeles in 1954. She began smoking while attending junior high school in Canoga Park. Her first cigarette was an unfilteredCamel
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
that she had stolen from her father. By high school she was smoking one pack of Camels per day. By the time she went to UC Berkeley and managed a small, private phone company, she was smoking more than one pack a day.
Cancer diagnosis and commercial
In 1992, she was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer
Laryngeal cancers are mostly squamous-cell carcinomas, reflecting their origin from the epithelium of the larynx.
Cancer can develop in any part of the larynx. The prognosis is affected by the location of the tumour. For the purposes of staging, ...
and had a laryngectomy. She starred in the well-know"Voicebox" ad
where she is talking to the viewer then smokes through her
stoma
In botany, a stoma (from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth", plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural "stomates"), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange. The pore is bor ...
at her throat, described in a statement by Dr. Ron Chapman of the California Department of Public Health as "the most-recognized and talked about California tobacco control ad." He continued, "Debi was a pioneer in the fight against tobacco and showed tremendous courage by sharing her story to educate Californians on the dangers of smoking."
Although she was finally able to quit smoking after the ads first aired, she continued to battle various forms of cancer for the rest of her life.
Death
Austin died on February 22, 2013 in Van Nuys, California, aged 62. She was survived by two sisters and a brother.See also
* Terrie Hall, another anti-tobacco activist who also died in 2013. *Gruen Von Behrens
Gruen Von Behrens (May 14, 1977 – September 8, 2015) was an American motivational speaker and victim of Oral cancer, mouth cancer caused by smokeless tobacco. After his diagnosis and during his multiple treatments, he became nationally known for ...
, activist who died in 2015.
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Debi 1950 births 2013 deaths Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from laryngeal cancer Smoking in the United States Anti-smoking activists American health activists