The story of Robby Indra Wahyuda is a tale of an enlightened young man who tried to make a difference.

The 27-year-old photographer and singer in a band from Samarinda, East Kalimantan, died from a harrowing smoking related illness this week after a lifetime of smoking.

Robby probably made a mistake that cost him his life by allowing himself to smoke for so long. But in his final days, he changed and fought back against smoking. His story, shared on Twitter and Facebook, has inspired millions of us to keep fighting against smoking.

In a country where two out of three adults are active smokers we need this kind story and inspiration to fight against the powerful cigarette industry.

The industry's power is highlighted by the fact that Indonesia is one of only three countries in the world to still allow cigarette commercials on television.

The story of Robby is also a sad reminders of our negligence. For far too long we have allowed our children to be trapped in cigarette addiction with our ignorant state of mind.

The fact that Robby had been a heavy smoker since such an early age shows us just how uncontrollable smoking is in Indonesia. Unfortunately, Robby’s case is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to smoking among children.

The 2014 Global Tobacco survey found that one out of three Indonesian teenagers aged between 13 and 15 smoked regularly. Half were already addicted to nicotine, the survey said.

Half of all Indonesian children were exposed to various forms of cigarette advertising — most convey how mannish and macho it is to smoke — due to weak government restrictions.

Robby’s story is a reminder that we must act now against smoking and, just like Robby did, we should fight like there is no tomorrow.