Archive for August, 2010

Beth Ida Stern

The Art of Advocacy

August 20th, 2010 - by Beth Ida Stern

LUNGevity Foundation hosted our second 2010 National Volunteers’ Weekend (NVW) August 13-15 in Chicago. Our first 2010 NVW was in March. Between the two Weekends, we hosted more than 50 of our event coordinators from all over the country. We use this time with our coordinators to impart information about the foundation, our research, and developments in our national events program. We also celebrate the amazing work this cadre of volunteers does for LUNGevity. It’s because of them that our revenues were up 31% in 2009, and we were named the fastest growing charity in the United States by Charity Navigator!

I always come away from these Weekends so inspired by the incredible work that these dedicated and passionate individuals do for this cause that means so much to me. Together, we make a strong and implacable army in our quest to increase survivorship through research.

If we look to movements such as breast cancer, we see the importance of a strong, national, passionate advocate base. One of the reasons that progress has been made in the survivorship of breast cancer is that constituents across the country demanded more money for research into its detection and treatment. Advocates used their voices and pens and votes to tell policymakers – and each other! – how critical it was to make strides against a disease that affects so many people. And it worked! In the past two decades, there have been serious gains in the survival rates of breast cancer and in the quality of life of breast cancer patients.

It’s time for lung cancer to experience these gains! It’s time for all of us to make our voices heard. What can YOU do?

  • Attend a LUNGevity event. If there’s not one in your area, start one. These events not only raise a lot of money for lung cancer research, but they provide a setting for people affected by lung cancer to come together for support and hope and love.
  • Make a donation to LUNGevity. Every dollar helps us achieve our mission of early detection and effective treatment. We have lots of giving options, including monthly donations and tribute funds.
  • Talk about lung cancer. Everywhere I go, I talk about my family’s experiences with lung cancer, and as soon as I start talking, people jump in with their own stories. We’re all affected by this disease, and it’s time we started a national dialog about curing it. Tell people about LUNGevity, our phenomenal growth, and the incredible research we fund.
  • Support the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2009. Contact your congressman about this critical piece of legislation that declares lung cancer a public health priority, and authorizes the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense and Veterans Affairs to combine their key assets and to develop a comprehensive and coordinated research program with a goal of cutting lung cancer’s mortality in half by 2016.

Thank you to all of our advocates! You are making the difference in our fight. You are keeping the conversation going. You are making strides against this disease that affects us all. And you are helping us spread the word that we are all affected by lung cancer. We are a large and determined community, and together we will cure this disease.

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Posted in LUNGevity, Lung Cancer, Testimonial | Comments Off

Katie Brown

The Positive Side of Lung Cancer?

August 4th, 2010 - by Katie Brown

by Katie Brown

An active post on our support network is a post titled, “Let’s hear about the positive side of lung cancer.” http://www.lungevity.org/l_community/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=32930

IS there a positive side to lung cancer or any cancer?

I think for those newly diagnosed that question would be highly debateable, but in 8 years of patient advocacy I can say that there is usually something positive that comes from a cancer diagnosis.

Whether it’s how a cancer diagnosis brings a family closer together, the rally of family and friends, the realization that time is precious and that love and life need to be acted upon in relative short order- all those things are positive. It’s learning to live life to the fullest as if there were no tomorrow. And if your tomorrows are decades long, then you are blessed (or lucky, take your pick) indeed!

Was there a positive side to lung cancer for me? I’m a cancer survivor so I understand how precious life can be. But my cancer was caught early and was highly curable.

I am not a lung cancer survivor.

Lung cancer robbed me of my father and many many friends. I’ve watched the deadliest cancer killer steal the lives of good people, get the least media attention and offer less than a handful of treatment options. I’ve seen this cancer devastate people and families. It causes guilt and shame and even blame because of the smoking stigma attached to this disease. A disease that affects long-term ex smokers and never smokers too. A disease that can affect anyone that breathes air.

Was there a positive side to lung cancer for me? Yes. Yes? Yes.

It taught me how to fight and speak up. I learned while being a caregiver how important it was to speak out against the disease and the stigma, speak up for proper medical care, to seek out treatment options, and to demand a medical team that would fight as hard as we would.

It taught me that it didn’t matter what kind of job I had or how much money I made, none of it mattered more than people and the relationships you had with them.

It taught me insurmountable compassion and empathy for others. Because we had no support during my dad’s cancer journey, I learned how important it was to support others, take time to listen and talk and show them how much you care.

I’ve learned how deeply you can touch someone, even those you’ve never met face to face, and how deeply they can touch you.

I’ve learned to make and create memories, speak softly and the importance of making an impact with your life.

The devastating disease took my father from me.

Then it gave me a mission and a calling I never knew I had.

I have met people I never would have met.

I have learned that my steps may be small, but each one I take does make a difference.

And I have learned to talk…with my mouth, my hands and my words…to impact the world.

That’s my positive side.

Each time I get to communicate with another survivor, meet with the patients at the cancer centers, facilitate a support group meeting or simply give a much-needed hug to someone feeling alone, is a positive side of lung cancer.

Now what we need is a CURE.

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Posted in Advocates Perspective, General | Comments Off