From Marlene who requires shots in her eyeballs to Julia who needs an ostomy bag taped to a hole in her abdomen - the scenes from this anti-smoking campaign are aimed to make you cringe . The new Tips from Former Smokers ad by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights two smoking-related conditions macular degeneration , a blinding eye disease , and colorectal cancer . The campaign which originally launched in 2012 will begin running on March 30 featuring five former smokers in a bid to stop people from smoking . Marlene , 68 , started smoking when she was 15 years old and now has to have treatments involving shots to her eyeballs . Marlene , 68 , of New York began smoking in high school when she was 15 , and started losing her vision due to macular degeneration when she was 56 years old . 'Please do n't end up like me . Do n't sit in a doctor 's chair , have a clamp put on your eye , and have needles stuck in your eyeballs . It 's horrible , ' Marlene told NBC . Apart from quitting smoking , her best chance to slow down her vision loss is a drug that has to be injected through a needle into her eyes . Marlene must get the shots every month which is a stomach-churning process to watch . In the video , the stomach-churning treatment she undergoes every month is revealed just before the needle goes into her eye . So far , she has had more than 100 shots in each eye . 'This will probably go on for the rest of my life , ' she said . 'If I 'd had a crystal ball many years ago , I would never have put that first cigarette in my mouth . ' She added : ' I want to see the sun . I want to see the water . I 'm so sorry that I started smoking . ' The new Tips from Former Smokers ad by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights colon cancer , which Julia suffers from . The campaign also features former smokers Mark , 47 , of California an Air Force veteran who developed rectal cancer when he was 42 . He also has to use an ostomy bag . Julia , 58 , of Mississippi smoked for more than 20 years before she developed colon cancer at 49 years old and requires an ostomy bag , while Kristy , 35 , of Tennesee smoked until her lung collapsed and was later diagnosed with early COPD , a lung disease . While many of the stories show the heart-breaking aftermath of smoking , some of them have happier endings . Mark , 47 , an Air Force veteran who developed rectal cancer when he was 42 and is required to use an ostomy bag . Tiffany , 35 , whose mother died from lung cancer when she was 16 , decided to stop smoking when her own daughter turned 16 years old . Smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States . It 's responsible for the majority of the nation 's lung cancer deaths and is a deadly factor in heart attacks and a variety of other illnesses . In 2012 , the agency 's $ 54 million campaign was its first and largest national advertising effort . The government deemed it a success : That campaign triggered an increase of 200,000 calls to quit lines . The CDC believes that likely prompted tens of thousands of smokers to quit based on calculations that a certain percentage of callers do actually stop . Like last year , the 20-week campaign spotlights real people who were hurt and disfigured by smoking . She made the decision so that she could be around for the important milestones of her daughter 's life . Her ad will run as a public service announcement . 'All the Tips ad participants are heroes , ' said Dr. Tim McAfee , director of CDC 's Office on Smoking and Health . 'By courageously sharing their painful personal stories , they 're inspiring millions of Americans to make the life-saving decision to quit smoking . ' The CDC said its campaign has helped prompt millions of smokers to try to quit , and that in 2014 when ads were on air , nearly 80 per cent more contacted the national quitline , 1-800-QUIT-NOW . The campaign in 2013 featured Terrie , a North Carolina woman who lost her voice box , and later died from throat and oral cancer . 'Over a million and a half smokers made a quit attempt because of our 12 week campaign — just a 12-week campaign created this effect , ' McAfee told NBC . 'Over a hundred thousand people quit successfully and permanently because of the campaign . ' Kristy , 35 , smoked cigarettes until her lung collapsed and was diagnosed with early COPD , a lung disease .
WARNING : GRAPHIC CONTENT . Title: Why do we have to wait for the sun to rise before it's time to go outside?