Colorado Springs Woman is the Face of a Global Campaign

As a 44 year old non smoker, I was blindsided by my own 2015 Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. I was a letter carrier on walking routes, running one or two 5Ks a week after work. Weeks before my lung cancer diagnosis, I climbed the Manitou Incline, with more stairs than the Empire State Building, and ran down the 4.2 mile Barr Trail for the first time.

The incline was easy on my legs, but I kept having to stop to catch my breath. As active and healthy as I was, I had been to two different urgent care type facilities with random breathing issues. I had a persistent cough and a heaviness in my chest, something similar to bronchitis. Both times I was told my lungs sounded clear and I was given reasons of post nasal drip and a virus to justify the breathing problems. It was nothing too serious.

When breathing issues interfered with running and attempting the Incline again, I went to another doctor to find the cause of my breathing problems. A chest x-ray revealed a mass in my right lung. Further testing brought a devastating diagnosis.

I heard the words, “inoperable”, “incurable”, “terminal”. What didn't sound too serious weeks before was actually late stage non small cell lung cancer. By the time I was diagnosed lung cancer had already metastasized (spread) throughout both lungs and to my spine.

My lung cancer was misdiagnosed and overlooked because lung cancer in young, otherwise healthy, adults is not on anyone's radar.

Until that point the extent of my lung cancer knowledge was what I learned in elementary school health class. They teach you, if you smoke your lungs turn black, like the smoking pig lung display, and that's how you get lung cancer.

What they don't teach is, non smokers and never smokers can get lung cancer too. Everyone knows smoking may cause lung cancer. Not everyone is aware of other lung cancer risk factors.

Radon gas is the #2 cause of all lung cancers and the #1 cause of lung cancer in never smokers. Other risk factors include passive smoking (secondhand smoke), asbestos and family history. Firefighters and military veterans are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer due to their occupational exposures to carcinogens.

Lung cancer in young healthy adults, especially women, is on the rise. Doctors and researchers don't know why.

Although lung cancer is the leading cause of all cancer deaths, it receives the least amount of federal funding for research. There is a stigma associated with lung cancer and a blame placed on patients for causing their own disease, even when they have never smoked or haven't smoked for decades.

I'm honored to be featured with two other lung cancer patient advocates in the 2018 international Lung Cancer Awareness Month public awareness campaign.

Each November the Lung Cancer Coalition, a group of international research and advocacy organizations, partner together to improve lung cancer outcomes for people around the world and debunk the unfair assumptions and stigma associated with lung cancer by better educating the public on the disease and its causes.
Lung cancer facts:

• 433 Americans die of lung cancer every day.
• Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, surpassing breast cancer in 1987.
• Lung cancer is the #1 cause of cancer deaths in the world.
• More people die from lung cancer than breast, prostate, colon and liver cancers combined.
• Nearly 80% of lung cancer cases now are never smokers or former smokers.

Go to www.lcam.org for more information and stories of hope.