People associate smoking with cancer. But cancer as a concept is hazy in their minds. They don’t know what the disease does. We wanted to establish that cancer causes unbearable pain. The blood, the scissors, the desperation was inspired by a true case study we came across. The object chosen was a harmless pair of scissors, something you don’t associate with smokers; but in this light, it seems obvious. Also, when a smoker is being treated, it is tough on the people around him. Thus the mailer was not sent privately to the smoker, but to his entire family.

People wrote back. They called. Some were disgusted and angry that we had sent them something so gory. But when the CPAA staff spoke to them in detail, the anger turned to helplessness at not knowing what to do if something like this should happen to a family member. Most who called wanted to know if it was true. We showed them pictures and discussed the case studies with them. We arranged a visit to the cancer ward as well. The smokers were apprehensive at first, but later some of them volunteered for a health check up.