ON THE TABLE

Red beams that are used to target radiation treatments glow on the skin of Earl Bernard in the radiation vault at St. Joseph’s Cancer Institute in Tampa. The 66-year-old had his first cigarette at 13 in his hometown of Syracuse, N.Y. After 38 years of smoking Camels, Bernard was diagnosed with lung cancer. He underwent surgery to remove a lobe from his lung, then received chemotherapy. The red beams are used to ensure that the exact area is bombarded during treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, cigarette smoking is by far the most important risk factor in the development of lung cancer, which will kill an estimated 160,100 Americans — including 12,000 Floridians — this year.
[Times photo: Mike Pease]