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Donna Ever Shot Husband in Back Seat Car Face on Billboard Cincinnati Ohio

Written By Thursday, December 16, 2021 Add Comment Edit

Read personal stories about the impacts of lung disease and air quality and share your own story.

  • Carly H, MI

    I am going to be honest, I struggled quite a bit with my father's lung cancer diagnosis. As a child I had begged him to quit smoking, especially when his own mother died from the disease.

  • Craig F, WI

    My dad quit smoking in 1985 after his mother died. 3 1/2 years later I convinced him to see a doctor when I detected a 'wheeze' in his breathing.

  • Amanda P, OH

    My grandfather was diagnosed with Stage 3C lung cancer in 2010

  • Donna Z, NY

    I am a 46 year old woman, because of cigarettes, I am now a widow. My husband passed away in October 2012, almost a year ago, besides myself he left behind two teenage sons.

  • Cindy B, CT

    My father, a non-smoker, passed from lung cancer nearly five years ago. He was diagnosed after he developed a cough treated for a few months as pneumonia.

  • K (Karen) L, HI

    After several months of unintended weight loss and increasing joint inflammation and pain, I developed a cough. Just hours after being told my cough was caused by acid reflux, I began coughing up blood.

  • Teresa W, TX

    My father was diagnosed with lung cancer in December of 1983. He was 69 years old at the time and had been a heavy smoker for 50 years.

  • Linda A, MN

    About 7 months ago I went in for a physical - everything was just "fine". Blood work everything is okay. For about 3 weeks I had has this stitch in my right side.

  • Pat P, MS

    My dad died from lung cancer in January 2003. He was diagnosed less than 30 days earlier. He had been exposed to radiation at his job. Fast forward to 2011 when I had a recurrent sore throat and went to my ENT.

  • Margaret C, NY

    My brother passed away from lung cancer on July 20, 2013 - he had learned he had lung cancer on June 23, 2013 - too late to receive any treatment or hope for a longer life.

  • Becky J, MA

    Did you know that lung cancer claims more lives each year than breast, prostate and colon cancers COMBINED? Did you know that it doesn't receive nearly as much funding as those cancers? Until my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer I did not know much

  • DeWitt H, NM

    Lung cancer took my wonderful brother Richard from his wife and extended family when he was only 56. That's been 12 years ago, but of course I think of him very often.

  • Laurie S, NY

    My mom had lung cancer. We did not find out she had it until it was 4th stage. She was diagnosed in 09/15/2010 and passed 09/21/2013. She did two rounds of chemotherapy then did radiation.

  • Frank C, CA

    In Dec. 2009 I went for my annual physical, all went well. I had a new doctor as mine had retired. By chance he gave me a chest x-ray.

  • Peter R, CT

    I have a good outcome story. On April 27, 1994, I had a car accident. I complained about chest pain caused by the seat belt. A CAT scan was taken and several nodules were spotted.

  • Summer D, CA

    "Did she smoke?" When people found out my mom had lung cancer that was the first question they asked. As if finding out that she did would make it better.

  • Rebecca V, GA

    I lost my father to lung cancer almost three years ago. What I really want others to know is that people with lung cancer, your friends, your family, your loved ones, are not statistics.

  • Allen M, VA

    My late wife, a long-time cigarette smoker, died of lung cancer

  • JaVonne H, IL

    I received a phone call while on vacation that my brother had been hospitalized because his leg gave away. He could no longer walk on that leg.

  • Mary M, MO

    My lung cancer was discovered, like most, by accident, while being scanned for something totally unrelated. The diagnosis of Stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer was a shock, to say the least, as I am a non-smoker, swimmer, bicyclist, healthy eater an

  • Cheryl S, OH

    It's been almost five years since my then 12-year old daughter came running down the stairs in tears to tell me one of her best friend's mother had just been diagnosed with lung cancer.

  • John B, NH

    I don't have cancer, but I hope I never will. I have seen firsthand how painful and devastating cancer is not just for the person dying, but on family members, children, parents, siblings, friends and other relatives.

  • Ruby H, PA

    My husband was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and when we went to see the surgeon, he informed us that there was a spot on the lung.

  • Debbie S, OR

    On Sept. 11, 2012, I experienced chest pains which were diagnosed as acid reflux. Chest pains require a chest x-ray, which showed a shadow on my left lung.

  • Sherri S, NE

    My dad passed away from lung cancer on Sept 15, 2009. He was the one who helped me and I was still in high school so when he didn't feel good.

  • Gloria R, PA

    Five years ago, at the age of 60, my intuition told me to get a CT scan - my brain also urged this, as I'd smoked for 25 years.

  • Lysa B, NV

    I had back pain for several months that just got worse. After finally going to the ER and having an x-ray, EKG, MRI and a CT I was told I had lung cancer that had spread to my spine.

  • Cheryl V, OR

    I coughed up blood July 4, 2000, and being a respiratory therapist who had a chronic cough for about 3 months, decided it must be tuberculosis that I was exposed to.

  • Marge C, GA

    In July 2011 getting ready for my yearly physical and feeling better than I had in a long time, my chest x-ray revealed a spot on my right lung.

  • Frank L, NY

    I was a volunteer responder on 9/11 and was present at ground zero for over 2 months. In February, 2006 I was diagnosed with my first of 3 primary lung cancers.

  • Ronda D, IL

    I was diagnosed two years ago with stage 3B lung cancer, my bonus was Horner's Syndrome due to the location of my tumor (Pancoast). I have since been upgraded to stage IV.

  • Buddy R, NC

    In early Feb, 2011 I went to my primary care physician to be treated for what was thought to be pneumonia. A chest X-ray, CT scan, MRI and bronchoscopy later, I was diagnosed with SCLC (limited) with a partial collapse of my upper right lobe.

  • Gail C, NY

    When I went to the ER in May 2011 with an acute GI problem, I never expected to be told that the CT scan they had done had detected a lung nodule (unrelated to the GI problem).

  • Connie T, CA

    Three summers ago, when I had a terrible backache after a strenuous hike, the last thing I expected was a diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer. Even less expected was that the tumor, which had pretty much destroyed one of the vertebrae in my lower back,

  • Kerry L, NY

    I am a trained medical professional (RN/Respiratory Therapist) who has lost both parents to lung cancer. Professionally I have taken care of patients who have/had lung cancer.

  • Dianna S, FL

    I am a 57 Year old Grandmother of two wonderful boys and I found I'm Stage 3a Lung Cancer. I took control of my treatment immediately but must credit largely my husband of 38 years for standing at my side, asking questions, demanding answers and prod

  • Roy M, NC

    During the summer of 2004, I was coughing up blood. My primary doctor sent me to see a lung specialist, who performed tests on me. He diagnosed me as having lung cancer.

  • Hope C, MS

    A little over 3 years ago, I came down with Pneumonia. To confirm this, the doctor took a chest x-ray, which showed a spot on my lower right lobe of my lung. Biopsy confirmed that I had a Well Differentiated Carcinoma.

  • Michelle M, FL

    Well my father is a really active 70 year old man who smoked his pretty much entire life. Other than that he has a healthy lifestyle, decent weight, still working as an attorney, lover of his family with multiple dreams and projects to accomplish.

  • Peter W, IA

    Theresa moved to Sturgeon Bay, WI from Seoul, South Korea in 1980 at the age of 14, and we first dated in 1984. Eighteen years later, in the fall of 2002, we were reunited.

  • Kristin G, CA

    My sister was diagnosed with lung cancer on April 1, 2013. She had no symptoms except for joint pains and swollen finger tips and feet.

  • Mike T, VA

    I blame it on the cigarette companies - they knew smoking was dangerous yet denied it and still advertised it as OK, even implying that "light" cigarettes were an acceptable alternative.

  • Jason D, MO

    I just wanted to let you know about a young man who is honoring his grandmother, who is currently battling lung cancer. Nickolas, who is a Varsity Football Player in Seneca, MO, has been wearing a pink band around his wrists this season to honor his

  • Christie S, TX

    In December 2011 my dad, Gaylon, was diagnosed with stage four non-small cell lung cancer. By the time he was diagnosed it had spread to his bones, other organs and his brain. He had tumors in his brain that caused him to be unable to speak clearly a

  • Jes W, OH

    I was nine years old when I was affected by lung cancer. My dad passed away from lung cancer after a three year battle with the disease. It taught me as a young girl about resilience and staying strong in the face of such a hard life lesson.

  • Michele F, FL

    My sister in-law passed away in April after a 9 year battle with lung cancer.

  • Michael H, NC

    On Friday, May 7, 2004, I received a call from my sister. Meg had come from a doctor's visit because of nagging bronchitis. She was headed to the hospital for chest X-rays.

  • Frank S, MA

    Last year on November 2, my mom became ill when she came home from work. She felt dizzy, and parked her car crooked when she arrived home.

  • Clare M, AL

    I am 70 years old and woke in the night with pain under my right shoulder blade. I thought it was a heart attack so woke my husband to go to the emergency room.

  • Elizabeth R, CA

    My husband's story is sadly typical; it all started with a cough. It could be heard throughout the house and he was incapacitated by it. At first they thought it was bronchitis, when it became bloody they tested for TB.

  • Rita E, ID

    My husband, Kelly, is a lung cancer survivor - yes, you read correctly - stage 3.5 small cell in his right lung. It would take a long while and too much space to tell you exactly what happened - but I will shorten it and tell the key points.

  • Heather I, OH

    I found out that my mother has lung cancer after several trips to the emergency room and overnight stays. It started in April with bronchitis and pneumonia.

  • Nancy M, NY

    The Hugs I missed. When I was one, I couldn't tell you not to smoke while you were holding me, so I fussed. When I was five, I would wave your cigarette smoke out of my face as I ate dinner.

  • Robert A, MO

    In the fall of 2011 I wrestled with a cough for a week or two. One day I got dizzy along with severe heart burn and went to my knees. I managed to dial 911, but then got better.

  • Grace M, GA

    When I found out the county I live in, Paulding County, GA, made the "lowest particles" list I was enraged!! The area of Paulding I live in is ALWAYS smoky.

  • Marlene M, OR

    My late husband, Bob (48 yrs old), was diagnosed July, 2003 with stage 4 lung cancer as a non-smoker due to high radon levels in our home in Lake Oswego, OR.

  • Joyce K, NC

    I am sharing my lung cancer story because I want to provide hope and inspiration! I was diagnosed with lung cancer twenty five years ago, at age 33. I was sitting at my desk at work when I coughed up a clot of blood.

  • Thomas Z, TX

    Help make a difference in someone's life. On Sept 13, 2012 I flew to Grand Rapids MI for a four day vacation to surprise my Mom for her 84 birthday.

  • Denise H, NY

    I am a 3 year lung cancer survivor and happy to report my life is very much back to normal. I was diagnosed with stage 2 non-small cell lung cancer in June 2010 and had the upper lobe of my right lung removed in July 2010.

  • Deborah W, CT

    My husband found out he had lung cancer after trying to fight a cold. First the doctor told him he had a bad cold. It would not go away and turned into pneumonia.

  • Janice S, MI

    I was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in August of this year. The tumor was around 2 centimeters. I consulted with a team of doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI.

  • Richard W, PA

    I grew up in a family where everybody smoked. We never even talked about it. I knew the habit was unhealthy, so limited my use to five cigarettes a day or less.

  • craig L, OR

    I'm a 90-year-old retired surgeon. In WW 2 I was a Marine. Our K-rations and C-rations had packets of 4 cigarettes each. I got hooked. In medical school about 1950 I learned that tobacco causes lung cancer, and tried to quit.

  • Kathleen S, FL

    I was diagnosed in 1999. My diagnosis was a HUGE surprise, and it was not easy to obtain. I had been busy planning my wedding and also had a busy career and small children.

  • Christina M, TX

    My mother just passed away on October 1, 2013 from lung cancer that had metastasized to bone cancer. She was only 67 years old and had not smoked in 15 years.

  • Donna H, PA

    I have nearly 12 years of volunteer experience with a variety of nonprofit organizations, local community based organizations, and civic minded groups.

  • Tracey B, MD

    My dad, 58 years old started having pain in his left side that would not go away. He recently was treated in the hospital for pneumonia three months earlier, so we just thought it was because of that.

  • Misty W, AR

    I lost my mother, Rita, to lung cancer on December 10, 2012 at 3:05 PM. We found out she had lung cancer after a drain tube was put into her lung to drain some fluid off on November 7, 2012.

  • Linda R, MN

    My story of how I figured out I had lung cancer: Early February of 2004 I was having extreme anxiety and panic attacks. I ended up in ER twice because of it.

  • Nancy M, MA

    August 2010 I went to my primary physician after experiencing tremors/painful tingling sensation in my left arm above my elbow. These would literally jump to my rib cage under my left breast.

  • Margaret B, MA

    Here's a photo and an email message from my mother, who died of lung cancer 7 years ago, after a lifetime of smoking.

  • Erin H, OH

    My dad was diagnosed with liver cancer in November 2011. Not long after my family's world was rocked, we found out his liver cancer came from stage 4 lung cancer and the only option we had was chemo for symptom relief.

  • Lina J, CA

    In January 2006, a broken rib from coughing led to the diagnosis of stage 3b lung cancer. My late husband was not a smoker.

  • Mike N, ME

    My name is Mike Nobel. I'm a songwriter living in ME. My wife has worked for many years as a Hospice nurse, visiting, and supporting hundreds of patients (and their families) at the end of their lives...

  • Jillian F, MA

    I lost my best friend, my mom, almost a year ago. On November 19, 2012 my mother Brenda (52 years old) lost her battle to cancer. When I say she was my everything, I kid you not.

  • Robin D,

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer on Nov. 16, 2012 and I was devastated as I was a healthy 55 year old health teacher and basketball coach who exercised all the time.

  • Diana M, FL

    I am a 51 year old female and this past August I was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer. On the 28th of October I had half of my lung removed.

  • Craig L, FL

    I found out I had lung cancer in September, 2006 after having a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia when I couldn't shake an upper respiratory infection.

  • Elisabeth B, CT

    I had always been a nervous person so naturally I took up smoking. My parents smoked and they were from the thirties so they did not yet know the harm.

  • Kate K, NY

    I was blessed my cancer was found early while it was still in my lung only. I was diagnosed at stage 2. In May 2013 I was scheduled for a non-related surgery, but a pre- surgery x-ray showed a spot on my lung that was not there last November.

  • Donald B, FL

    My wife went in hospital to be treated for pneumonia and found out it was stage 4 lung cancer. She had a tube put in her chest for drainage and was sent home.

  • Kathleen C, TX

    I was diagnosed with stage 4 Adenocarcinoma of the lung on 2/21/2011 after a bout with pneumonia. The diagnosis came as quite a shock to me as a non-smoker.

  • Kathleen R, IN

    My Mother, Alexis, was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2003. She died one day after her 62nd birthday. In the beginning our family researched everything we could on the subject.

  • Lisa S, OH

    My story is about my Aunt Nancy. She was diagnosed in March of 2008 at the age of 46. She had never smoked a cigarette a day in her life.

  • Fancy T, CA

    My experience with lung cancer is a sad one. My mother died almost 4 years ago on January 3, 2010. She was only 56 years old. She had been a smoker since she was a teen.

  • Cara M, OH

    I'm an avid cyclist. Last autumn, my husband and I moved to a place that was at the top of a small hill. I rode my bike through most of the fall and winter months, and soon it got easier and easier to bike up the hill. I was getting stronger.

  • Leslie E, CT

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010. I had a lobectomy done by an arthroscopic procedure performed by a brilliant doctor.

  • Ashley B, TX

    Victoria, 49, found out in mid-July of this year that she had stage four lung cancer. She fought hard to the end.

  • Charlie J, GA

    I had melanoma in 2002. A follow-up x-ray for skin cancer found spot on lung. I had a lobectomy in 2005.

  • Rose W, KY

    In January 2013, at the age of 52, I was diagnosed with stage 2b lung cancer. I was terrified.

  • Yolanda B, NY

    My mother Eartha "Mae", went to the hospital for what we thought was pneumonia, but after return visits to the emergency room and many more tests, it was confirmed lung cancer.

  • Mark T, CA

    http://www.examiner.com/article/extreme-athlete-overcomes-cancer-surgery-and-climbs-willis-tower-four-days-later?cid=db_articles

  • Nicole R, NV

    It has been about a year since that life changing day I got my diagnosis of stage 3b small cell lung cancer.

  • Julie C, CA

    Julia was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 26. She passed away just over a year later...

  • JoAnne J, NJ

    My husband Larry was officially diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the age of 44 on August 12, 2003. Larry's ordeal started in June when he thought he broke his little toe.

  • Juanita B, WI

    What a journey. I found lumps around my collar bone in 2009. The doctor wasn't too concerned, but still took a CT scan to keep an eye on it. In March 2010 I lost my husband to a lifestyle death.

  • Michelle L, NH

    I have lost 5 family members to lung cancer, including both parents. My father was the most recent, losing his battle in 2012. He had not smoked for 15 years. It was a total shock.

  • Leya T, TX

    My dad has Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. He was diagnosed earlier this year and it has changed our family forever.

  • Joan L, NJ

    I started with some back pain between my shoulder blades and I was getting bronchitis almost every month. One day I had some chest pain and went to the emergency room where I was admitted and had a cardiac catheter, which was normal.

  • Donna G, MD

    Robert was a good man! A husband, father, co-worker, neighbor and he was only 51 years old when he died. He never smoked. He battled bravely for 15 months.

  • Elizabeth P, MA

    My Grandmother was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in September 2012. She was gone six weeks later. She passed away two days before Thanksgiving.

  • Cindy B, AL

    I lost my precious Mama, Hazel, who was also my friend. She looked much younger than her years. She was diagnosed with lung cancer after 25 years of being uterine cancer free.

  • Robyn C, OK

    My husband found out he had lung cancer with a chest x-ray. I want people facing lung cancer to get treatment as soon as possible.

  • Marybeth H, SC

    My husband, Eric, was diagnosed at 43 years old with non-smoking Alk positive stage IV lung cancer in March 2012. We had been married almost 5 years and had a 4 year old son and a six month old son.

  • Lyvonne L, TN

    My dad had been having some weak spells and the doctors said it was nothing. In October of 2002, he had gall bladder surgery and the doctor told us it was cancer.

  • Jessica R, PA

    "Don't worry. I'll be fine. See you Friday." These were the last words my Dad ever said to me. I remember that Sunday phone call and the following week like it was yesterday.

  • Alvy K, TX

    In his efforts to determine why I was experiencing "dizzy" spells, my neurologist ordered x-rays

  • MaryLee F, CA

    When I was in my late twenties, I started coughing up blood. I was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma in my right lung after having a chest x-ray, bronchoscopy and surgery.

  • Violet S, IN

    I have been smoking since I was 5 years old. I could read the warnings at that age but no one jumped in saving lives then.

  • Danielle S, ND

    We found out that Grandma had lung cancer stage 4 in Feb. 2013. I was devastated and knew she wouldn't have long with us.

  • Sherry G, ME

    My story is a divine intervention about a young woman and mother of three children ages: 22, 17 and 2 and a wife to a wonderful caregiver.

  • Amy Z, FL

    I can still remember exactly how it happened. My Dad called my oldest brother over to our house and sat us down together at the kitchen table with my Mother. He explained to us "I'm very sick".

  • stage4survivor H, NY

    An Interesting Journey... Started with a focal visual seizure which precipitated brain MRI revealing 3 brain tumors measuring 1cm, 1.5cm and 2.5cm over the optic chiasma.

  • Ruthann B, OH

    My husband had cancer in his esophagus and we were told that he also had cancer in his stomach on November 14, 2008.

  • Jerilyn T, CO

    This isn't my story as much as my mom's story. It is short- her life was too short. At 63 she was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer.

  • Sue H, IL

    Growing up in the 1950s in a house where my dad and his father smoked unfiltered cigarettes caused me to have yearly bouts with respiratory infections and allergies.

  • Karla H, KS

    My mom got lung cancer at age 71. She went through 5 chemos and 22 radiations and died 14 months after diagnosis. My sister got lung cancer at age 45 she went through a lung removal, 14 chemos and 40 radiations.

  • Karl J, OH

    When my older son was six, the family was sitting in the living room and I was smoking a cigarette. With worry on his face and in his voice, my son said, "...Dad, don't you know that if you smoke you will catch cancer?"

  • Timothy J, KY

    We learn from observing the examples of the lives which came before us. Of my four grandparents, three smoked. The one who did not is still alive at 98 years of age.

  • Robert T, CA

    I tried and failed several times to quit smoking tobacco. Each time I failed I would beat myself up verbally, labeling my failure as evidence that I was defective and lacking in willpower because I was unable to kick the habit.

  • lenore K, NY

    I was operated on in November had right upper lobe removed did my 1st chemo treatment in Jan. Right now I'm just having a real hard time with this.

  • Michelle D, AZ

    My dad found out July 1, 2013 (just a month before his 68th Birthday, and less than a year after retiring from a family owned flooring business) that the "clearing of his throat" that he kept doing wasn't allergies...it wasn't valley fever...

  • Joyce C, AL

    I do appreciate the volunteers work. They are the ones who have helped me quit smoking. It has been hard but I go to one of the sites on the computer when I want a cigarette and read about the harm a cigarette causes my body.

  • Valerie H, MI

    Just over three weeks ago my brother drove himself to the emergency room with severe shortness of breath. He thought he was having a heart attack.

  • JoAnn B, NC

    I was urged by my husband to go back to my doctor with a lingering cough for two months after having bronchitis. My chest xray looked suspicious.

  • Shelly H, SC

    Today I had a fine needle and core biopsy on lymph nodes above my collarbone. I'll be waiting for the pathology results, probably 4 to 5 days, but what's the rush?

  • squeeky W, MN

    Yep, its back. The 16mm lump is growing. We thought we beat two stage four cancers 5 years ago, but it has reared it's ugly head.

  • Elsie A, NY

    When my baby sister was like 2 years old her baby food went inside her lungs. I have a question how does baby food get into your lungs when your 2 years old.

  • Dan P, SC

    Ten months to the day, after they married, the unthinkable happened. On January 23rd of 2014, Dan received news that rocked their entire world, which had only begun to feel normal again after Becca's accident.

  • John C, WA

    I am a Vietnam vet. In the summer of 2009, I was being diagnosed for gall bladder stones when an alert radiologist noticed a "suspicious area" in the lower lobe of my right lung while reading a CT scan that was focused on my gall bladder.

  • Sherrie B, NC

    I am an active working mom of two young adults, two huge dogs, and several other pets, living in a log home near the ICWW in NC.

  • Sandra A, TX

    Five years ago, my mother looked me straight in the eyes and told me that she did not believe smoking caused cancer. Three years ago she had a heart attack and quit smoking.

  • Margee' M, WA

    In Dec. 2006, I received a call that my Mom's youngest brother had died from lung cancer. Then just 10 months later her younger sister died from lung cancer.

  • elizabeth B, AL

    When I was 4 my father would put something in his mouth, I thought blow on it, and put it in the ash tray. When he put me in the car, he'd light one up, at first it smelled kind of sweet.

  • Matt R, LA

    My uncle was diagnosed with stage IV small cell lung cancer on Monday, July 5, 2014 and died on Saturday, July 23, 2014. Having smoked for over 50 years, his diagnosis at age 69 was shocking, but not surprising.

  • Dona G, WI

    My husband, Gary, was diagnosed with lung cancer last December, virtually no symptoms. He was having knee surgery and in the course of preparing for that, the spots on his lungs were found.

  • lisa F, PA

    My name is Lisa F. I am 52 years old. I was a smoker who quit about 6 years ago. Last winter I got sick several times, running fevers coughing a lot with a lot of mucus.

  • Helen M, NC

    In the last 4 years I have had 4 brothers and sisters diagnosed with lung cancer. One Stage 1, one Stage 2, One Stage 3 and One Stage 4.

  • Dawn H, WA

    In May 2013 I noticed a cough that wouldn't go away. After many visits to my primary care provider, two chest x-rays, and trying several allergy medicines and inhalers, I finally sought a second opinion.

  • Bob B, OH

    On Sept 3, 2013 I came home from work feeling good. Had to go to bathroom and when I went- nothing but blood. Long story short, I ended up in hospital.

  • Mary B, VA

    In Jan. 2013 I had a CT prior to an endo/colonoscopy to determine the reason for abdominal pain. I found our I had gallstones and needed surgery.

  • Angela K, NY

    This is the beginning of our journey. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer metastatic to the brain on Oct 12, 2014.

  • Shirley H, VA

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer with mets to the bone, Stage 4 on October 7, 2013. I have worked as a Registered Nurse for 25 years.

  • Michele H, AL

    I was diagnosed with SCLC last May and have concluded chemotherapy and radiation (right lung) and Prophylactic Brain Irradiation. At this point there is no evidence of cancer where they have scanned me.

  • David B, FL

    My Mom Was Diagnosed With Stage 4 Lung Cancer In 2009. She Passed away in 2012. I Miss Her Very Much.

  • Bernard B, VA

    Hi All - I am 58 and was diagnosed in January 2014 with lung cancer stage 3b NSCLC after coughing phlegm with streaks of blood since mid-2013.

  • Laurie C, NC

    My husband, John, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer following a visit to the hospital.

  • Billy B, SC

    My husband, a smoker for 50 years, was diagnosed in September 2014 with stage 4 lung cancer. The cancer involves lymph nodes and has advanced to his liver.

  • Meliss H, PA

    My husband started coughing in his sleep in September. By the end of December after a test we found out he has stage 4 lung cancer.

  • Dawn W, TX

    My story is very short, we didn't even have time. I knew something was wrong when I hadn't heard from my mom in a while.

  • Cathy P, PA

    We found out today that my dad has stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. He was a perfectly healthy 79 year old man who started coughing in Nov. 2014. Doctors treated him for bronchitis but the antibiotics didn't help.

  • Corey W, CA

    I'm a 23-year-old girl who is beating stage IV lung cancer. Just 2 weeks after graduating from UC Berkeley, I was walking down a street in San Francisco when I received an unexpected phone call.

  • Max M, CO

    My mom had been having a persistent cough for several weeks. My sister insisted that she go see her doctor. A chest x-ray revealed fluid outside the lungs and a spot on the upper lobe of her left lung.

  • Linda B, IA

    May lung cancer. Was found by my pain Doctor It was a sock to me I no systoms.

  • Robin H, OH

    My husband found out Oct 24, 2015 that he has stage IV lung cancer-- small cell, a very aggressive cancer. He started chemo in Nov. finished it in Feb. and is now in radiation.

  • Allana B, MD

    My Mom was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer on February 18 and was given 3 to 5 months to live.

  • Juanita L, PA

    In June of 2012 my Pop-pop was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was 62 years old. He had been very very tired, having to sit and catch his breath after just walking a block, sometimes even less.

  • Anita O, HI

    Smoking is the bane of my life. The destruction it has caused in my own personal life has been devastating. Sadly, my beautiful Mum died from Lung Cancer in May of 2014.

  • Evan F, NJ

    For over sixty years or more my mother like a mother had lived with lung cancer. Her recipe for living with lung cancer is prayer and faith.

  • Lizzy S, IN

    One night i didnt eat and i was not feeling good i myself thought i had a flu or somthing well turns out that night i was rushed

  • Patti S, OH

    My mom has had a cough several times in the last couple of years. Routinely diagnosed with bronchitis and allergies. Finally after 4 months of coughing this recent time they did an x-ray.

  • Adnin R, IN

    My beloved who treated at singapore last 5month.. Doctr now giving his the last 6 chemo..

  • Meridith E, NJ

    My mother has small cell lung cancer. She was diagnosed with it in April of 2015. She smoked two packs of cigarettes per day for over 40 years of her life. For years, my brothers and I tried to get her to stop smoking.

  • Lisa T, IN

    My beloved Aunt Lou was diagnosed with NSCLC in October 2014 with a tumor on her spine and one on her liver. We were so shocked.

  • Jessica L, MA

    We found out my mom had extensive stage small cell lung cancer in early March 2015. Before March she only had a slight but persistent cough.

  • Danielle K, NJ

    My Aunt. Energetic, Spiritual, Full of Attitude with Love, Beautiful, Fighter and I can go on. My Aunt is a surviving breast cancer patient who was told she only had 6 months to live, she laughed and went to work on her body, mind and spirit.

  • Tracey J, NJ

    I wanted to share this story of the love of my life Joshua who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer that spread to his brain and kidneys this last May.

  • Rachael S, AL

    This is how i got my husband cured of CANCER deadly disease, i was searching online some weeks back, i saw a comment saying that he got all the herbal cure for any kind of disease, which i contacted him

  • Yasmin J, TX

    Hi. First of all, the reason I decided to visit this website is that I got to a point where Im so sick of friendly pick ups and 'youll be okay' hopefull sentences.

  • Leslie H, CA

    My name is Leslie and on mothers day I was told I had stage 4 lung cancer.

  • Sandy W, CA

    In January of 2014, I had a cough that would not go away. My doctor gave me antibiotics. They did not work. Went back to the doctor, more antibiotics, and they didn't work.

  • Kathryn M, NY

    It was 62 days from diagnosis to death after a lifetime of smoking on and off. It still hurts 2 months after I lost my mom.

  • Barbara L, NJ

    My husband was diagnosed almost ten years ago with stage 4 non small cell lung cancer. It is not a death sentence.

  • Monica B, MI

    diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer positive for ALK gene which allows me to take pills daily to keep the growths at bay. cancer metastasized to my retina at the time of diagnosis and to my brain have had eye and full brain radiation.lost eye to radiati

  • Shayla U,

    Sarcoidosis in my lungs. granulomas and lesions. The lymph nodes between my lungs were very enlarged. mass and clusters in the bottom of my right lung that was too deep to biopsy biopsies came back as infection and sarcoidosis. mass in right ventricl

  • Martha E, DE

    Dad had surgery to remove most of a lung. Cancer. Smoking. second hand smoke

  • Cor H, TN

    Six people in my family have been taken too soon because of lung cancer. My mom was only 48 years old when she died. I was with her every step of the way from chemo to radiation until her last breath. When we went in public people just assumed she ha

  • Melissa C,

    needed a routine physical for my new teaching job and that is how the cancer was found. I'll never forget hearing the heart stopping words, "You have lung cancer". After those words slowly sunk in and my brain struggled to process this information,

  • Karen S,

    n 2003 I was diagnosed with lung cancer and cancer of the trachea. I went twice a day for radiation - 8:30 am and 2:30 pm and had 10 chemo treatments. pneumonectomy

  • Angela H,

    My mother in law Linda was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer two years ago. First, it started small in one lung and she was still able to do many of that things she loved to do, go shopping, hang out with her family, visit the beach etc. After abou

  • Denise G,

    My mother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in November 2013 and passed away in June of 2014 at the at of 67. She has went to her primary care doctor complaining her vision was off.

  • Heather H,

    He was diagnosed at the age of 29 with stage four lung cancer. My brother never smoked. They tried radiation but the tumors continued to grow. At the age of 30 my brother passed away.

  • Sherry K,

    I would be lost without American Lung Association, I had a fungus in my lungs that was growing, my medication cost $1,900 every 2 weeks, my job offers no insurance so I couldn't afford to get my meds. They helped me to get insurance and checked up to

  • Geneva C,

    Diagnosed with stage 4 Lung Cancer. Cancer Treatment Center of America in Phoenix Undergoing treatment Mom was Cancer free (in remission) Cancer reappeared in a small area on her rib. Currently undergoing treatment again. Team Rosenda at Lung Force

  • Alicia N,

    My mother passed away almost 3 weeks after of being diagnosed with stage 4 Lung cancer. We didn't have time to process the shock of the diagnosis and most of all to spend time with her. My family and I want to do this walk and many more in her honor

  • Jamie I,

    She was a smoker most of her life until she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer in July 2005. She only survived 3 1/2 months of treatment including chemo, radiation, brain surgery, etc. Typically the first question I get when I tell anyone that my

  • Gabrielle T,

    Lung Cancer non-smoker Father symptoms back pain ribs mass in lung spread stage IV

  • Thomas B,

    They did five tests on me and found a mass on my left lung. A biopsy revealed it to be cancer! More tests determined that it was in the early stages.

  • Tracy S,

    er primary care was treating her for asthma, which she never had in her life. Her swallowing of water made her cough but dr thought nothing of it. X-ray showed nothing,. She started having some back pain as well. She decided to not participate in the

  • Tracy O,

    My husband, Kevin, was diagnosed Stage IIIa squamous lung cancer in January 2015. radiation and chemotherapy RLL lobectomy many days he was very tired the radiation caused him soreness swallowing lost nearly 30 lbs. and his hair. . In August, he rece

  • Bridget M,

    cancer, one COPD, and one asthma. hatred of smoking. My dad was a long time smoker with emphysema. Eventually, he developed COPD and was tied to a oxygen machine. Daughter, pneumonia, asthma.

  • Dena I,

    colds, bronchitis and pneumonias. never been an addicted smoker. biopsy .Cancer was diagnosed and they removed 2/3 of my left lung and one lymph node. developed double pneumonia and two staph infections in my lungs. Tarceva

  • Barbara C,

    Lung Cancer Tarceva mutation chemo

  • Lisa T,

    I had a complete lobectomy (removal of whole upper left lobe) and was staged at 1B - adenocarcinoma NSCLC. I researched day & night about the condition & treatments discovering that chemotherapy, according to the latest studies, was not recom

  • Deborah M,

    They immediately set up two needle biopsies, and found cancer in both of my lungs. I had aggressive radiation on the two bigger spots (both very small) and 3 weeks later, had a CT scan to check the how the spots reacted to the radiation.

  • Patricia M,

    COPD, ASTHMA, CAN BARELY BREATH. One would think I would stop. I was in the hospital more than at work or home. I can breath a lot better although I have to use oxygen every three hours if I have to. Also I have to. My clothes do not have that smoke

  • Jackie D,

    I was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma in June of this year. I also have an auto-immune syndrome, called Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome, which attacks muscle, tendons and joints.

  • Channel W,

    It wasn't until I was diagnosed with lung cancer 2 years ago that I learned so much about this deadly cancer. I didn't know that it takes more lives than all the other cancers combined. I've never been a smoker.

  • Jana A,

    My Team Warrior Women will be walking in honor of my beloved and beautiful Aunt Debbie (lung cancer), adopted Aunt Polly (Copd) and friend Donna Moore (lung cancer). These women were warriors, they fought the good fight for as long as they could. I w

  • Sandra H,

    I have had 2 close friends die from emphysema and one from lung cancer. I have asthma from bronchitis and have to "inhale" before any exercise. I have never smoked!

  • Tiffany C,

    I have asthma and my husband's grandfather passed away from lung cancer. We really appreciate all of the work that the LUNG FORCE is doing!

  • Lynne G,

    I lost my mom to small cell lung cancer last year. LUNG FORCE Walk day 2015 in Louisville would have been her 83rd birthday.

  • Lindsey W,

    My grandma was diagnosed with COPD last year. They found abscesses in her lungs. We're trying to get her treated effectively and improve her longevity.

  • Barbara B,

    My father has COPD. He has been a smoker since a young age and it is severely limiting his adult life.

  • Pearl P,

    I have 2 grandchildren with asthma, my mother has COPD, my father died due to lung cancer. I participated in the LUNG FORCE Walk because of the above reasons. Also, I have a co-worker who is currently fighting lung cancer. I take care of residents wh

  • Amanda H,

    My mom battled COPD for 14 years before being diagnosed with lung cancer. It was a long hard road for her as well as her family members. We walk in the LUNG FORCE Walk in her memory and continue her fight for awareness.

  • Donna R,

    I walked in the LUNG FORCE Walk in support of my co-worker Rachel who has been fighting stage 4 lung cancer for the last year. I have watched the different phases of her emotions and it is so heart wrenching. I continue to send her loving messages da

  • Madelyn W,

    My uncle passed away from lung cancer. I cared for him at home and stayed by his side when he took his last breath in his own home. His last words were "I love you always".

  • Tara L,

    My mother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in October 2014. She found a lump under her left arm - if it weren't for that lump, we would never have known the degree.

  • Vivian A,

    15 years ago, my mom died from lung cancer. I took care of her for 3 1/2 years until it took her life. I hope and pray that one day there will be a cure!

  • Elizabeth V,

    I have taught asthma education to parents and patients since 2001. But in the last six months I have had to learn about a different lung disease, lung cancer. My husband is still getting chemo. This is why I walk for the LUNG FORCE!

  • Franisha A,

    I've lost both of my grandmothers to lung cancer and my aunt has lung and throat cancer. I greatly admired all of these women for their courage and strength and their will to never give up.

  • Rhonda V, LA

    My story is about my mom who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer on July 3, 2014 and lost her battle seven weeks later.

  • Vanessa G,

    I've lost 4 family members to lung cancer. It was hard to watch someone I love and look up to battle it.

  • Lori M,

    My journey began in March 2015 - I had broken out in a rash that started on my leg and spread to other parts of my body.

  • Laura C,

    My mom has been battling stage IV lung cancer since July 2011. I feel so blessed and wonderful she is still here! Thank you God!

  • LeeAnne K,

    I am a 41 year old mother of two children. My first encounter with cancer was when I just gave birth to my daughter and the doctors realized I had cervical cancer.

  • Brandon D,

    My mother and grandmother both lost their lives to lung cancer. I helped take care of my mother, and she fought this for 5 years. I miss her very much!

  • Andrea N,

    My name is Andrea and I was a caregiver for my Mom for fourteen years. During the last couple years of my Mom's illness, my Auntie Isabelle was a huge source of emotional support to me.

  • Elaine S,

    My three kids and I know what it feels like to struggle to breathe. We all have asthma. We don't like to take air for granted. My uncle was recently diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. We have a new reason to raise awareness.

  • Ron D,

    My wife was diagnosed lung cancer, never was a smoker. 2009 diagnosis and I took care of her until the end. Together 40 years.

  • Lynn M,

    I am a runner, mostly half marathons and ten-milers. I am a mother of three grown boys. I am a full-time professional. I am a lung cancer survivor.

  • Linda G,

    My journey with lung cancer is just beginning. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer this month.

  • Emily Y,

    I am a 49 year old single mother of a beautiful 6 year old daughter. I was diagnosed with Stage IV adenocarcinoma on August 1st, 2013. I believe the only reason I am alive is because I have the ALK mutation.

  • Mary W,

    At the beginning of September 2015, my doctor sent me to the ER for a problem with my leg. While in the ER, I mentioned about a nagging cough that I was having that wasn't going away.

  • Stephanie W,

    Seven years ago, they found a 2 cm nodule in my right lower lung on a CAT scan of my abdomen. It was found by complete accident. I was 43 years old.

  • Bailey G,

    My beautiful Mama's life was cut far too short due to a horribly misunderstood disease - lung cancer.

  • Wanda N,

    My sister, mother, my husband and I have lost loved ones to COPD. My husband of 21 years is still here with me and was able to do the LUNG FORCE Walk in Louisville!

  • Wendell S,

    I walked in the 2015 LUNG FORCE Walk to support my mother who I stood by for over 10 years while she had COPD.

  • Cissy B,

    My mom and sister passed away with COPD. My mom has been gone for 34 years and Jeannie 2 years. I love and miss them very much. I also take care of the lady next door to me - she and my brother in law walked with me at the LUNG FORCE Walk.

  • Robin S,

    I was diagnosed on Mothers Day on May 9, 2013 with stage 4 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. It has now metastasized to my brain - I'm still fighting!

  • Sally G,

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer and had surgery in August 2013. Six months later, I climbed 38 flights to the top of Louisville's National City Tower in just over 16 minutes!

  • Jenese B,

    In 2009, I caught a respiratory virus. I was sick for 2 months and ended up in hospital with an enlarged heart - It was keeping me going!

  • Jennifer W,

    My mother had COPD for 15 years. No matter how hard it was for her, she fought and fought for her kids!

  • Deborah D,

    I have exercise induced asthma exacerbated by heat. I probably have asthma because my mom smoked her entire pregnancy.

  • Joanna A,

    I am the mother of my son who has COPD and asthma. It's my great appreciation to participate in the LUNG FORCE Walk. My son and I are going to fight this horrible disease. Keep praying every day to get better. Thank you.

  • Terri S,

    I am a respiratory therapist. My mother died from COPD in 1997. I have asthma. My granddaughter and daughter both have asthma.

  • Deborah N,

    About ten years ago, my younger sister called me and said her arm had "stopped working."

  • Chandra G,

    I have suffered from asthma since I was a child. Many people like to think that asthma is not that important or that is does not affect your day to day life.

  • Bill S,

    "Don't smoke," is my advice to anyone who will listen. I know firsthand the impact it can have on one's health, as I was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago.

  • Donna F, TX

    I am Donna. A wife of over 40 years, a mom, a daughter, a sister, and a stage IV lung cancer survivor.

  • Jennifer N,

    When I was only 36 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer with mets to my bones. We were all very surprised as I had never smoked and had not lived or worked with a smoker.

  • Heather D,

    I believe I was 12 or 13, when I was first referred to a specialist and diagnosed with asthma. I didn't give it much thought back then, it didn't affect me. I'm 31 now and I feel like my life has flipped in the wrong direction in regard to my health.

  • Demetrice T,

    Hello Ms. Patti and American Lung Association and who support in Lung Cancer awareness. My mom pass away of this deadly disease, March 25, 2013.

  • Rhonda T,

    It began with a cough in late winter. I just thought I had a case of bronchitis. I had not yet quit smoking but was cutting down.

  • Carole B,

    In March 2011, after worsening back pain, I visited my physiatrist who ordered an MRI. When I saw her for the results, she was speechless; my upper body was "riddled with lesions".

  • Pamela L,

    The diagnosis came on the day before New Year's Eve last year. My wife and I were completely numb. How could this possibly happen? How could I have Stage III Lung Cancer? It had to be a mistake!

  • Hazel B,

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer July 2014. I had pneumonia and they did chest x-ray and found a spot. I was diagnosed in stage 2.

  • Connie S,

    I was having chest pain and went to the ER. They did a ct scan and found the spot on my lung.

  • Diana H,

    I lost my mom in 2007 to lung cancer at the age of 63. One year later, I lost my sister. She was 45 years old and had lung cancer.

  • Thomas S,

    I taught English and humanities at Deerfield High School for 34 years. Now I live in Chambersburg, PA and have just completed five years of caring for my wife Leslie who died of non-smoking lung cancer October 22, 2015.

  • Donna N,

    In late May 1997, my sister and I went to London. When we returned, I had a cough. Being a nonsmoker, I shrugged it off as effects of pollution in the UK.

  • Karen L,

    I will celebrate 19 years of survivorship following concurrent diagnoses and surgeries for ovarian and uterine cancers in January 2016. Apparently, that wasn't enough for me though, as fate had a new obstacle to put in my path.

  • Estrea J,

    In 1998, I got the scare of my life. I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I was shocked. I had quit smoking 12 years before that and even then, I was a social smoker.

  • Glenn W,

    I'm 72 years old and I was diagnosed as 1a in November 2013. I had lower half lung removed a month later followed by seven weeks of chemo and radiation, because when I exited surgery, I was 3a due to unseen involvement.

  • Margaret A,

    Bill was not feeling right – feeling short of breath and dizzy, we traveled to the ER. A few hours later, he was admitted for some tests and two days later, after completing the tests, we got the dire news. Lung cancer.

  • Lisa M,

    My name is Lisa M. In August 2015, at the age of 44, I went from having a very active, healthy, life with a persistent cough and a little shortness of breath, to finding out I have stage IV non-small cell lung cancer.

  • Helen M,

    On my birthday, I was sitting in my doctor's office waiting to speak to an oncologist and all I can remember is just feeling broken.

  • Laronica C,

    I was at work when I received the call. My coworker was in my office and I didn't know until much later that her being there was on purpose. The phone rang at my desk and it was my mom.

  • Christy F,

    In 2006 I didn't feel well. I was really tired, had shortness of breath, chest pain, back pain, a constant cough and wheezing. I had 6 symptoms of lung cancer. By the time I was diagnosed it had spread to both of my lungs, my neck and I had a tumor t

  • Carolyn W,

    Approximately a year after quitting a 25 year smoking addiction in 1988, I trained as an American Lung FFS Facilitator and facilitated the program at area hospitals and in the corporate setting for many years.

  • Verna Riffe B,

    Lung cancer is a very personal issue for me. Below is a copy of the letter I wrote to the Cleveland City Council regarding pending legislation that would impact the incidence of lung cancer.

  • Kimberly B,

    At age 37 I was diagnosed with stage 1b non-small cell adenocarcinoma. Lung cancer! How could someone who was a female, young and a non-smoker get lung cancer? How could I get lung cancer? The question just kept running through my head.

  • Phyllis D,

    My sister, Tina, was one of the strongest women I'd ever known. She was more of a mother figure than a sister.

  • Mistie B,

    My name is Mistie and I am a 41 year old widow with four amazing children. The two words that we strongly dislike is lung cancer!

  • Margaret R,

    I am a 69 year old retired school principal. In 2003, shortly after I retired, I was diagnosed with non- Hodgkins lymphoma. I underwent chemo and beat it.

  • Roberta J,

    My name is Bobbie and I've had lung cancer twice. Let me tell you my story. In March of 2012, while sitting in church with the 5th grade class I worked with I suddenly felt my chest getting very heavy, and my left arm went numb.

  • Shelly B,

    I lost my grandfather to lung cancer a couple of months after I became a respiratory therapist. I know his lung cancer was most likely caused from many years of smoking cigarettes. In my 25 years as a respiratory therapist, I have cared for many pati

  • Denise G,

    Fifteen months after losing my mother to lung cancer, my stepfather lost his battle with advanced COPD.

  • Bruce H,

    I am a physician. In my practice I take care of the many patients who have lung cancer. I have seen firsthand how this silent and deadliest of cancers has persisted, even as smoking has declined. Most disturbing has been the dramatic increase of this

  • Margaret H,

    My husband and I just found out our son at the age of 33 was diagnosed with adenocarsonma lung cancer which has spread to stomach. We aren't taking it well – we're devastated and scared. We are meeting with the oncologist tomorrow to see what stage h

  • Allison H,

    When I married my husband, his father had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was the best man in our wedding, with no hair.

  • Shelly E,

    I was diagnosed June 11, 2013 with stage four lung cancer. At the time I was (seemingly healthy) music teacher, wife and mother of two young children.

  • Gene D,

    My roller coast ride started no where near an amusement park. It was Columbus Day weekend of 2014 and I started to experience severe pain on the lower left side of the chest. I went to my primary care physician who ordered a chest x-ray.

  • Jutta B,

    August 6th, 2012 I was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 Non Small Cell Lung Cancer. My prognosis without treatment was poor and with chemotherapy not much better.

  • LaShana H,

    Keisha and I were the best of friends since both of us were 5 years old. Growing up, we spent every day together in some form or fashion. Whether we were face to face or talking on the phone, we were more like sisters than friends. Keisha was the sup

  • Shaneen M,

    In September 2015 I was diagnosed with advanced lung disease. The doctors gave me several possible diagnoses such as sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I immediately began to research lung disease which is how I found this site. I joined

  • Anita F,

    In June 2014, I was diagnosed with stage IV adenocarcinoma of the lung, a dire diagnosis with grim survival statistics. I am feeling good and doing well today due to the rapid advances in personalized treatment of cancer.

  • Jennifer K,

    After my husband passed away from lung cancer at age 35, I vowed that I would never let his memory fade.

  • Janet F,

    In March 2011, I was healthy, a bit overweight but exercising regularly. However, I'd had a nagging cough for a few months. To make my husband happy, I mentioned the cough to our doctor. Two months, two rounds of antibiotics, one x-ray, and a broncho

  • Nancy H,

    I was an extremely active, healthy 62 year old in April of 2012. I was skiing in Colorado and had, what I thought, was altitude sickness. It wasn't. When I returned to our winter home in Florida, I was told that it was probably stress but I was given

  • Shirley T,

    To start, I was a participant in the NLST screening trials to see if chest X-ray or CT scan was a better choice for lung cancer screening. I was in the X-ray section.

  • Peggy M,

    I smoked for 20 years but I was smoke free for 20 years after. I went in to get my shoulder looked at, turns out it was a torn rotator cuff and went across the hall for pre op tests and they caught the lung cancer in the chest x-ray. I had lower left

  • Joseph S,

    My name is Joseph and I am a nonsmoker. In January of 2013, I was diagnosed with advanced stage lung cancer. For most of 2013, I underwent treatment for that disease - 8 rounds of chemotherapy, major surgery to remove a large portion of my right lung

  • Jan P,

    In May of 2007, I was diagnosed with stage 3A lung cancer. I was not a smoker, so we looked for other reasons I would have lung cancer. We had our home tested for radon, and the results were more than 6 times the level of 4 picocuries/liter of air, t

  • Chris B,

    Even before Mom told me about being diagnosed with emphysema, things had been different for quite some time. She and dad had not made as many recent trips to see the family and I knew something was not right. She began talking about some pain she had

  • Tricia W,

    It was March of 2006 when I was first diagnosed with lung cancer, but I consider my journey unofficially starting June of 2005 when I was first diagnosed with pneumonia, strep and mono all at the same time.

  • Martha S,

    In August of 2008, at 65 years old, I was undergoing physical therapy at a medical facility where I noticed a poster advertising low dose CT scans for early detection of lung cancer

  • Andrea B,

    There are two things that add to the grief I feel after losing my husband, Dan, to lung cancer in April 2013. The first is that he blamed himself for his disease because he once smoked. The second is that he would have been an ideal candidate for scr

  • Michelle C,

    My name is Michelle and at 32 I was diagnosed with lung disease. My story begins in 2009. I married my best friend, my career took off, and I trained and completed the IronGirl.

  • Linnea O,

    I was diagnosed with non small cell lung cancer in April of 2005. At the time I was forty five years old, a happily married mother of three and a never smoker. The never smoking part is important only because I feel it delayed my diagnosis. Unlike so

  • Kayla M,

    My mom, at the age of 46, being a non smoker started with curious symptoms and lost sight in one eye. Upon an eye exam a tumor was found, then a CT scan revealed hundreds of tumors all across her body. The largest tumor was found in her lung. When he

  • Eric B,

    In 2009, I had surgery for a biopsy in my upper right lung. It proved to be stage 1A adenocarcinoma and the upper lobe was removed. Within 6-weeks I was back to riding my bike, and 10-months after my surgery, I rode in my first charity ride for the A

  • Sherri M,

    In 2010 my world came to an abrupt standstill. At age 52, I was told I had stage 4 lung cancer. I walked out of my doctorâ'TMs office and threw my pack of cigarettes out in the parking lot. All I thought about was that my father had died of lung canc

  • Christie M, CO

    After two months of careful observation by my family physician, then a pulmonologist, and ultimately an oncologist, with X-rays, CT scans, and pulmonary function tests, during which time I lost weight, developed a pronounced cough and sputum coming f

  • Susan T,

    Three years ago I felt sick with what I believed was my annual case of bronchitis. So, when I went to see my physician to get my medicine, I didnâ'TMt think it would be anything different than previous trips to the doctor. However, when the doctor su

  • Kathy F,

    My Journey started in June 2014. I worked full time, married with 4 young boys. Then I started with a cough and shortness of breath when I tried to talk. I went back to the doctor several times in a month, always with a diagnosis of allergies, pneumo

  • Kristen T,

    My story is about my best friend's battle with lung cancer, and the victory that was hers when she went to heaven.

  • Colleen D,

    My Lung Surgery, Sept. 2015 Thirty-five days after seeing my cardiologist I had a right lobectomy. I had gone to the cardiologist for my yearly check up, not that I have much of a heart issue, just a leaky valve that we kept a watch on. During the v

  • Lisa D,

    Eight years has passed since I lost my mother to COPD after her surviving lung cancer. I was lost for words the day my mother told me she had lung cancer. She was my best friend and my mentor, how could I live without her?

  • William W,

    The #1 cancer killer in our nation, lung cancer, took my mother's life in 1989 and is still taking lives in 2016. My mother was diagnosed and after her initial treatment, the cancer resurfaced and she died less than two years later at age 79. At the

  • Alisa B,

    My name is Alisa and I am a lung cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer at 43 years of age, in July of 2000, just a few months after my mom passed away of lung cancer. It still boggles my mind to this day that I was taking care of

  • Dorothy P,

    We were active in the earlier lives of retirement. We belonged to a senior center, went on outings, trips, dinner theaters, etc. But then he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. With Cyberknife and chemo treatments, he became weak and so sick. I h

  • Lois F,

    How Lung Cancer Impacted My Life I did not expect my father to die from lung cancer by age 60. Growing up both my parents were heavy smokers. Every morning and night I would hear them hacking and coughing gasping for air. Still, their persistent smo

  • Marlene H,

    It was on January 18th, 2013 when my journey began. It was the day my husband and I were told I had lung cancer. LUNG CANCER. I thought it was impossible. I was a woman in my early 50's, healthy as a horse, and a nonsmoker.

  • Kristen C,

    At 38 years old, a routine CT scan for kidney stones revealed a tumor in my lung. Nine months later and after a second opinion, I was diagnosed with lung cancer.

  • Deborah W,

    Sitting in the surgeon's office waiting to be called, my cigarette lay in the ashtray emitting a stream of steady blue grey smoke drifting into the small waiting area. Having a mass in my left breast had brought me to his office. The door to the wait

  • Dora M,

    In January, 2011, I acquired an unnatural cough. It sounded like a bull moose making his bellow through a pinched balloon. It got my attention so I went to the doctor four times in four months. My doctor was placid and told me again and again it was

  • Stephanie B,

    Almost 5 years ago, I lost the most amazing person in my life. My best friend, my inspiration, and a true hero. On April 14, 2011, I lost my dad to lung cancer. As a non-smoker, his stage 4 diagnosis shocked us all. What was first thought to be pneum

  • Jane J,

    My story starts like many others who have been diagnosed with lung cancer - it was all a fluke (and miracle) that it was ever discovered!

  • Laurie S,

    A few months ago if you would have asked me to list 10 things from which I might die, I would have listed heart failure from watching the New Orleans Saints way before lung cancer. I've never smoked, never been around second hand smoke, and never had

  • Lisa L,

    Twenty five years ago I went to my parents house to visit my grandmother who was laying in my childhood bedroom. My parents were caring for her in her lasts weeks of life. She was losing her battle with lung cancer. She made me and her other grandchi

  • Nancy T, IA

    <p>The words you never want to hear, 'you have cancer,' I've heard twice in my life and each time my heart sank. What I couldn't see then was how it would end up making my heart flourish. Cancer was not new to my family. We've seen loved ones survive

  • Nicole D,

    My name is Nicole, I'm 22 and a recent college graduate. I am a former college cheerleader, an avid runner, a proud alumnus of a sorority, and a huge Cleveland sports fan. I also happen to only have 1 healthy lung.

  • Elvia R,

    My mom, Blanca was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in August of 2015. Her life expectancy was 3 months but she courageously fought and lived for 6 months after her diagnosis. She did radiation but opted out of chemo and chose to focus on her quali

  • Laura G,

    In February 2015, my 6 year old son I and I were in a terrible car accident. I didn't realize at the time that the car accident was the least of my problems. In fact, I believe the accident saved my life.

  • Joni C,

    On April 7, 2015 my family changed forever. My dad was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, the most aggressive form of lung cancer.

  • Trish A,

    My name is Trish and I am 51 years old. Thanks to lung cancer, I am also a widow.

  • Colette S,

    Anyone can get lung cancer. I was one of them. On September 17, 2015 I was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It was palpitations that led me to the ER on that fateful night of the first CT scan.

  • Leslie H,

    In December of 2015, I went to my pre-scheduled allergist appointment. I have several allergies and asthma. My allergist took one look at me and said, "You're sick." I could only laugh and said that I wasn't.

  • Terry G,

    I started this journey in 2003. I was diagnosed as stage 3b NSCLC adenocarcinoma. The news came as a shock because I was rock climbing, hiking, swimming and just all around being active.

  • Kathy P,

    Unfortunately, both my parents have are now dead from lung cancer. I believe it was because of cigarettes. I hate them and believe all cigarette companies are making money by killing people. Cigarettes should be illegal. I will do my part to raise aw

  • Sharon D,

    First let me say: I was never a smoker. I received my diagnosis in November 2010. The tumor was in the lower left lobe of the lung and was confined so they removed that section and no further treatment was needed.

  • Kathy H,

    I am a three time lung cancer survivor. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 3a lung cancer. It went to my lymph nodes. I had to have radiation and chemo and of course, I got sick and could not do the last chemo.

  • Steven L,

    My story is about "Rinky Dink", my mom who passed away on 4/13/14 from Lung Cancer, I walk in memory of her. She was an amazing person not because she was my mom, because she was so caring and gave so much for her family. To this walk is in memory o

  • Mara G,

    My name is Mara and I live in Colorado. I retired from being a high school educator in 2010 and moved immediately to where a former youth group boyfriend of mine lived. I thought it was like an Oprah Reunion story. I had my fairy tale world by the ta

  • Jean M,

    In January, 2005, during a pre-surgical exam, a chest X-ray revealed a spot on my dad's lung. It was lung cancer and he had a lobectomy. My dad was 76 at the time and was a vibrant, active guy.

  • April M,

    My story started a few weeks ago. My 85 year old grandfather has been having some breathing issues for a while and his primary physician wrote it off as "he's getting older and he's a former smoker."

  • Nicole W,

    My mother Nancy was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in June of 2004. She had been a long time smoker, beginning in her late teens which continued off and on throughout her life until she was diagnosed at age 55.

  • Sandra K,

    I am a woman of 67 years and retired. I have five children and four grandchildren. I'm a licensed counselor for mental health and addiction. I have spent the last 20 years working in the counseling field. For several years, I worked with adults and t

  • Samantha H,

    My Mother is my HERO.

  • Crystal R,

    Unfortunately, lung disease is no stranger to our family. My grandfather was a musical legend. At least, our family thought so. He played any and every instrument, from violin and guitar to his most known specialty, the piano. Being in a band in his

  • Maria R,

    My name is Maria and I was diagnosed with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD). My story begins back in 2008. I was getting sick a lot with pneumonia and colds.

  • Christopher F,

    On September 11, 2014 I got a call from my primary care doctor telling me the results of a biopsy of a lymph node in my neck showed lung cancer. Lung cancer?! How is this possible? I am (was) 39 and had quit smoking five years earlier and felt totall

  • Dana U,

    In 2012, I was diagnosed with NSC adenocarcinoma lung cancer, stage 3A. I did chemo and radiation. For nearly 3 years there was no sign of lung cancer anywhere till August 2015 - it was back in the exact same place.

  • Amy P,

    I lost my dad to lung cancer in 1978

  • Jacquelyn N,

    In July 2015, I went to the doctor because I had shingles. I got the medicine for the shingles and the doctor then asked me if I had any other complaints that may need to be checked out as part of my Medicare health maintenance.

  • Kaye S,

    I am female and at age 69, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. A 1 cm tumor was discovered in my right upper lobe by a chest x-ray that I had because I was short of breath. Had I not mentioned this to my doctor, I would be dead today because insurance

  • Debra M,

    I lost my dearest friend of 15 years to stage 4 cancer a month ago. He had smoked, but he quit. He kept it a secret from his family – he didn't even tell anyone he had cancer. I miss him so much.

  • Rebecca M,

    My story starts in 2014 when I started to have breathing trouble. I went to the hospital as a precaution. After several CT scans and explorative surgery, my pulmonologist found the benign nodules in both lungs. Since then, I have continued to thrive

  • Bernadette S,

    I also got sick in 2008 and became fatigued, coughing - just achy everywhere, so I went to my doctor and was told I had pneumonia. I went back after a dose of antibiotics after getting no relief and was given a stronger dose and told that it looks li

  • John H,

    My story, as it were, started when I found blood in the sink while clearing my throat one morning in February of 2014. It alarmed me more because a friend of mine had recently spent several days in a hospital because of pneumonia.

  • Brooklyn S,

    My step mom, Rita, came into my life when I was 8 years old. From the start, she loved my brother and I like we were her own. I would look forward to going to her house on my dad's weekends because she would always have something fun for us to do.

  • Alice C,

    In October 2014, I was in the process of getting medically screened to donate a kidney to a friend of mine, when I got the call I never expected to get. "We think you have lung cancer."

  • Michele W,

    I was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer at the age of 46. I am a non-smoker, grew-up in a smoke-free home, not exposed to second hand smoke and no family history of lung cancer. My lung cancer was found on a CT scan while at the ER with blood clots

  • Jacquelyn F,

    I am a 42 year old mother, wife, and teacher. Like most people I was going about the business of life as usual when out of nowhere came this persistent cough. I went to a couple of urgent care facilities and they prescribed antibiotics and sent me on

  • Carla W,

    What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! This is what my life is about. I have always lived a very active healthy lifestyle. I have never smoked and I'm an active runner. I was initially diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 42. I was shocked!

  • Candy B,

    I was diagnosed April 2013. Initially, I had gone to my family doctor for a routine annual physical. My mother had passed away from mesothelioma and my siblings and I get yearly x-rays because of this. Despite this resolution, I had been extremely bu

  • Jason N,

    My uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer and I never got a good chance to know him. He was a genius and inspired my recent interest into computers. He had even bought me a musical instrument that I did not know about until after his death.

  • Alexandria S,

    My grandma passed away from stage four lung cancer in 2013 after being diagnosed in 2010. She was 77 years old when she passed away. In addition to having lung cancer, she also had COPD and emphysema. She had smoked for most of her life and then one

  • Roberta W,

    Both of my parents battled cancer and transitioned from time to eternity. As a Professional Chaplain in the healthcare setting, I have the privilege of walking alongside of patients who battle cancer as I help them and their families embrace the beau

  • Becky K,

    My father worked in the general motors foundry for 35 years. Sadly, in December of 2015, he got what seemed to be a cold and went to the doctor, got a chest x-ray and was told it was pneumonia.

  • Michelle S,

    Never in my worst nightmare did I imagine that the two words "lung cancer" would enter my life. As a non-smoker who has never been exposed to secondhand smoke, committed to a healthy lifestyle, with no family history of the disease – only complete an

  • Lawanna B,

    My story is about my husband. He was diagnosed at the age of 46, no symptoms besides shoulder pain. He was working every day, thinking it would just disappear. It didn't – it got worse.

  • Alejandra E,

    Petra J Enriquez was one of the most beautiful and the best Nana God blessed me with.

  • Joyce E,

    My name is Joyce and I am a lung cancer survivor. I was diagnosed four year after I had quit smoking. Here is my story.

  • Melanie Z,

    Nothing hurts more than being told asthma is a childhood disease, one I should have grown out of. it should never not be taken seriously. Although symptoms may lessen, it is a lifelong disease. And, in my case, has only gotten worse.

  • Patricia F,

    I was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in December 2014- Stage 4 in both lungs.

  • Mohammad M,

    I am suffering from breathing problems and asthma since 1975. I now take, Theophyline tablets and use an inhaler of Formoterol Fumarate and Budesonide. No one has diagnosed lung cancer so far.

  • Sharon M,

    Hi! my name is Sharon. I am a 63 year old female, married with 3 children, 5 grandchildren and 3 (soon to be 4) great-grandchildren. I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung on April 27, 2015.

  • Diane S,

    I recently heard that three friends my age, who had stopped smoking at about the same time as I, had been diagnosed with lung cancer. We are all in our mid-70s, and stopped smoking in...the mid-70s.

  • Janice R,

    I am a "never smoker." That's important for women to know because the fastest group of people being diagnosed with lung cancer are never/non smoking women.

  • Billie Jane H,

    I was having preoperative workup done (lab work, etc) before having knee replacement. A chest X-ray was part of the testing. The next day I was called and told doctor wouldn't do the surgery because my X-ray showed I had pneumonia and I should follow

  • Robert S,

    My wife was diagnosed with stage 2a non-small cell lung cancer in August 2011. She passed away this last June.

  • Stephanie V,

    My father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in August 2007. It all started in April 2007, he was coughing up blood and went to his physician who ordered antibiotics without even seeing him. Then in July 2007 he was complaining of mid sternal che

  • Karen B,

    I am an eight year lung cancer survivor. I was blessed with early detection.

  • Mary Anne P,

    Back in 2010, I was having a lot of abdominal pains. I have a history of peptic ulcer disease. My Internist decided to do a CT scan of my abdomen. At the last minute she added a CT scan of the chest because I had had a persistent cough and I was a fo

  • Joelle R,

    My sister's mother was diagnosed with lung cancer last year (2015) and passed this month (August 2016).

  • Ernestine T,

    I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in Nov, 2013 after having an MRI of my lower back done to determine causes of right leg pain. Never had any lung issues up to that point and never smoked. A biopsy was done of the tumor seen in the MRI to det

  • Nancy W,

    I was a smoker. There - I put it out there. Lots of boomers smoked. Reasons now don't really matter. And I quit. Finally. Successfully. February 24, 2010.

  • Teresa S,

    After having "sinus" issues for all my life, my "post nasal" drip became worse and I started experiencing a cough. The cough was "productive" so I assumed it was due to my sinus issues.

  • Clemente P,

    Early detection of lung cancer, as with all cancers, is important to me because it saved my sister's life - on 3 separate occasions!

  • Rita R,

    Early detection allowed me to get operated on to remove the cancer and to have chemotherapy afterwards. I now go for regular check-ups and CT scans. Plus, I am on an oral medicine targeting the cancer that remains.

  • Maria A,

    My mother died of lung cancer at the age of 54. Although she was a smoker, she never felt sick, and didn't experience coughing or any other warning signs. Her father also died of lung cancer in his 60s. My brothers and I are approaching 50.

  • Cathy Z,

    When I had my annual exam with my primary care physician in June 2013, I asked him about having a low-dose CT lung scan. I was a smoker during my 20's and 30's and my Mom died of lung cancer. My doctor was dubious -- I was healthy, had no indication

  • Joan C,

    I had just turned 65. I was referred to a new Internist as mine had retired. Dr. Turken had a protocol that anyone who was 65 years of age who had ever smoked would be required to have a lung and heart scan. Both scans showed health issues.

  • Colleen R,

    I really do think early lung cancer detection is important; however when I tried to obtain a low dose CT scan (I planned to pay out of pocket costs with my own funds) with a script from my physician, they wouldn't do it saying I didn't 'fit' the crit

  • Nancy B,

    Whenever I tell people I am a lung cancer survivor, they ask me how I knew I had it. I tell them I had a wheeze, just a little wheeze...and that I had never had a wheeze before.

  • Anita C,

    As a Registered Respiratory Therapist and Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist, I have worked with many lung cancer patients. I have seen many lives cut short by the ravages of lung cancer, including my own beloved Grandfather who had survived WWII

  • Joann D,

    My mother, Joann, turned sixty years old on April 2015 and upon going for her annual physical, her doctor informed her that she was in the best health of her life and whatever she was doing, to keep doing.

  • Ansel O,

    Two years ago, I was a medical transcriptionist at a pulmonary clinic. As a young ally in healthcare, I have encountered narratives of people living with COPD, emphysema, and lung cancer, some of which have traveled with me since.

  • Nicole R,

    In December 2015, I began having a cough that never went away. It got worse and I finally went to the doctor and he diagnosed me with bronchitis, put me on steroids and antibiotics and sent me on my way. The bronchitis never went away, it only got wo

  • Rita H,

    I am a 53 year old never smoker. At 50 I had a blood test at my yearly gynecology exam that showed cardiac protein levels were high.

  • John H,

    I was selected for a program to take a chest X-ray once a year starting in 1984. In 2002 the x-ray showed I had cancer in my right lower lung (small cell). I was operated on in March of 2003, the lower lobe of right lung was removed. My wife said the

  • Pamela S,

    I had been feeling slightly breathless (almost unnoticeable) at the end of summer 2014. I attributed it to the heat and humidity and turning 60. In October I was getting ready for a shopping trip with my children when I coughed up a small amount of b

  • Samir I,

    One day, mid-January, I passed out during performing my duty and was transferred to the hospital with chest pain.

  • David S,

    In June of 2014, I lost my wife, Joanne, to lung cancer. Joanne was my hero and still is. I always said that if I went through what she did, I would probably dig a hole and climb in. Not her - she was a fighter.

  • Karen M,

    An early Saturday morning with Michael having breathing problems was the beginning of a new journey for us. With tightness across his chest and unstable breathing, we headed to Urgent Care.

  • Louise H,

    I smoked for 36 years even after watching my mother die from lung cancer. I've been a non-smoker for almost 12 years now.

  • Venard C,

    Betty Woodruff, Venard Cabbler's mother, is the inspiration for his poetry. When his mother passed away from lung cancer in 2010 he experienced a flood of emotions that tapped into a talent he never knew existed.

  • Nicole R,

    At 36 years old, I was happy, I was re-married with a great pre-teen daughter and 2 wonderful step-sons - life couldn't have been better. In December 2015, I had come down with a cough. It progressively got worse as time went on and while on a New Ye

  • Helen H,

    I was always one of the blessed people who never had to deal with any significant health issues and never even gave my health status much thought. As my family was preparing to welcome my first grandchild into the world, I began to feel that somethin

  • Stacey R,

    My dad was always a very hard working husband and father. He provided a great life for our family. He always worked doing industrial construction. Always was a pretty healthy man. He was never sick and never went to the doctor.

  • Jackie M,

    Jackie went to an allergist about her sinus infection. Because she had coughed up blood, the doctor sent her for an imaging evaluation; it showed a spot on her lung.

  • Anne B,

    I am an MRI technologist and was used to seeing patients diagnosed with cancer. When I developed a pain in my left side, I thought it was from moving wood with my boys.

  • Stephanie F,

    Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is among the most feared diagnoses. It is one of the deadliest cancers in the United States and one with a poor prognosis. I do not know how I knew that. It could have been from knowing people who died of small cell or f

  • James M,

    my mother Rose passed away on the 4th of July, two days after her 63rd birthday due to COPD.

  • Frida O,

    In March 2015, Frida O. thought she had walking pneumonia -- she had a low-grade fever and a cough that lasted for months.

  • Zelita W,

    May 8, 2015 I was diagnosed the adenocarcinoma lung cancer. Detection at stage 1B. The cancer was discovered after have a annual mammogram plus a breast MRI because of a family history of breast and other cancers. Needless to say I was not expecting

  • Katie K,

    My mom was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in August of 2015. The diagnosis was sobering, because she is the root to our family tree.

  • Ashley M,

    In October 2012, I was an average sophomore attending The Pennsylvania State University. Life was great; I had a wonderful boyfriend, great friends, and I was loving the college life.

  • Alan R,

    I was diagnosed with a Pancoast tumor in the summer of 2009. I spent a full career in the painting industry. We worked around every hazardous product there is including lead, asbestos, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, epoxies, and even volatile organic co

  • Karen V,

    I'm 3 1/2 year NED of Adenocarcinoma. I want to share some help with others facing a diagnosis. There were so many things that I didn't know, and wish I had.

  • Carol S,

    In the late 1960s at age 34, Carol's brother experienced seizure while on vacation with his wife. After being rushed to the emergency room, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which quickly metastasized to his lungs and brain. He passed away aft

  • Michelle Y,

    In December of 2007, my loving mother was diagnosed with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. She was a non-smoker. Our family was stunned. However, once we accepted the diagnosis, we were determined to stand as a family and wage war against the disease. Th

  • Heather J,

    My name is Heather, I am 43 years old and I am a lung cancer survivor. I am an avid runner, I love to mountain bike, kayak, and did I mention that I am a non-smoker? That's right a non-smoker. Until my cancer diagnosis I had always considered myself

  • Joanna S,

    It was only a few days ago on October 5 of 2016 that I found out, within one hour, that my dad and I both have cancer.

  • Christine H,

    I am a Respiratory Therapist and I teach college level students to join the profession and be part of the LUNG FORCE to fight lung disease. My father, Kurt Sorensen, died too young because of smoking related heart disease and bladder cancer. I know w

  • Denise W,

    This past April, my father Julius J Werner lll (Skeeter) thought he had fallen down and hurt his back. He was taken to the hospital where they did x-rays and found nothing. He went home a few days later he had a doctor appointment. The doctor was che

  • Shelly F,

    Eighteen years ago this past Memorial Day weekend - I was miserable. I had sores all over my left leg and terrible stomach issues.

  • Stephanie F,

    The diagnosis of small cell lung was confirmed in December, 2015. "Please, not small cell. Anything, but that." It was more than an immediate thought. I actually said it to my doctor. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is among the most feared diagnoses.

  • Ami M,

    My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung cancer in June of this year. We had no idea that she was sick until she was really down. She has been through chemo and radiation and is still fighting. As my mom says she has on her boxing gloves!

  • Nikki U,

    I'm a 35 year old non-smoker, who never smoked a day in my life that was diagnosed October 5, 2016 with NSCLC.

  • Andrea E,

    I lost my mom four years ago to lung cancer. At the time I didn't know the devastating statistics surrounding this disease, especially in women. I also didn't know how quickly the disease can progress if not diagnosed early.

  • Cindy P,

    My mother fell ill July of 2013 and shortly after, we learned she had pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a form of cancer in the lungs.

  • Joann S,

    Thirteen years ago I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I had a cough for a few months. So I went in for a test. It came back as adenocarcinoma of the left lung. I had the lower lobe removed.

  • Karine H,

    My father was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in November of 2015. He had a 2" by 2" measured tumor in the upper left part of his left lung.

  • Andrea S,

    In September of 2014, my twin daughters were born 12 weeks early. They both spent many months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, fighting to grow and strengthen their lungs.

  • Lori K,

    My 43 year old boyfriend began having back pain in January of 2016. He was living in China at the time, and an X-ray at a Chinese hospital showed a large mass in his lung. The doctor, through a translator, simply said, "Go home and see your family."

  • Misty B,

    My husband, John, and I were married on the Fourth of July in 2015, and were happy to be celebrating our marriage with the fireworks and fanfare of the national holiday. Little did we know that just two months later, at the age of 35, I would be diag

  • Katelyn L,

    In August of 2013, tragedy struck my family as I lost my best friend, my hero, my father to the horrific powers of Stage IV Lung Cancer

  • Kaye P,

    In 2012 I was visiting my son's family for a very happy event - the birth of their son. I had had a cough for a while and was having severe shoulder pain. I thought I had a joint issue and needed a steroid injection. I went to the ER and was shocked

  • Bobbi J,

    I was diagnosed in 2013 with stage 3 lung cancer. I've never smoked. I didn't have symptoms. I was 39. I just gave birth to a baby girl, Katherine Grace.

  • Donna T,

    Hard to believe that just one year ago I received a diagnosis that would change me forever. Friday, October 23, 2015. Though I am more powerful than it; it has profoundly changed me. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Adenocarcinoma in the upper rig

  • Ruthanne C,

    My mom. She was born April 28, 1928. I loved her with all my soul. I talked to her every day. She was indeed my Best Friend. She died on October 11, 2009.

  • Elizabeth H,

    In 2010, I broke my collarbone. A pre-op X-ray showed something on my lung. I had it checked and biopsied and it was diagnosed as lung cancer. I had the upper node of my left lung removed, which removed all of the cancer. It was staged as 1B non-smal

  • Judy P,

    In 2002 I was diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC, METS to my rib. I had half of my left lung removed, my rib resected, my spine dislocated, several different chemo's and radiation. Surprise! I lived.

  • Kay B,

    In August of 2015 I was told I had lung cancer. I did not know anything was wrong with me until I had a difficult time breathing while tackling the big hill by our home on my daily morning walk. Soon I learned that my left lung was filled with fluid

  • Martha P,

    This story is not about me. It's about my father and so many people I have loved.

  • Carol A,

    I was diagnosed last year with COPD, and an aneurysm on my heart. I was a smoker for years etc.

  • Elisabeth L,

    My Mimi was just 63 years old when she heard the devastating words "you have stage iv non-small lung cancer."

  • Melinda B,

    I was diagnosed May 5, 2014 after dealing with a lingering hacking, bad cough and no other symptoms. After it was confirmed it was cancer, I saw my oncologist and we started a treatment plan.

  • Susan C,

    My name is Susan and I was diagnosed with lung cancer in February of 2016 following a lobectomy. I was initially staged as IIIa, but, doctors found a distant tumor prior to any treatment and changed my staging to stage IV.

  • Beth C,

    My Dad died from lung cancer on November 8, 1993. He was 66 years old and I was 26 years old. My sister died from lung cancer in March of 2014. Too many families have been touched by this killer.

  • Laurie R,

    My 66 year old mother was diagnosed with Limited Small Cell Lung Cancer last Thanksgiving

  • Valerie B,

    My story is about my dear husband who was diagnosed 15 years ago with squamous cell lung cancer. He was operated on by a world famous doctor at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in NYC. She removed an upper lobe of my husband's lung and it was decide

  • Soby F,

    I'm fine - probably just allergies. I often replied when people looked at me side-eyed like I had Ebola. It was just an innocent, dry cough that turned into fits when I talked too fast or laughed too hard. I felt fine. I was an active runner, non-smo

  • B C,

    I asked my doctor for a chest X-ray and he sent me for one. It was not anything he understood so, he sent me for a PET scan which showed that I had a pea-sized growth in one lobe of my lung. They biopsied it and it was cancer.

  • D K,

    My mother was diagnosed with lung cancer much too late. She died within months of her diagnosis.

  • Lyndsay L,

    My mom passed away from lung cancer, at the age of 59, just 3 weeks after I had my first child and her first grandchild. She was diagnosed just 5 months prior.

  • Paul O,

    I met my wife in 2012 and we got married March 2015 and then had our son. We were newlyweds with a baby and also a nine year old step-son and enjoying our family until she started to have a pain and her left back. We went to the doctor and they dismi

  • Debbie L,

    On December 17, 2003 i was diagnosed with Stage 3 NSCLC. I had 2/3 of my right lung removed and over the next 6 months received radiation and chemo. I had all the side effects and was told I still only had a 5-15% chance of survival. I never had a si

  • Anna C,

    In December of 2011 my husband Dennis of 33 years went to the doctor with a persistent cough and pain in his shoulders. After several rounds of antibiotics to treat suspected pneumonia, his cough and pain persisted. In January, he was diagnosed with

  • Alice P,

    Coming home from an advanced step class, a telephone call from my PCP informed me that I had a sizable tumor on my skull that was working itself in. I had only slight pain in the area. My biggest symptom was that, when I brushed my hair, it sounded d

  • Bickie B,

    I'm a Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer warrior. I'm 60 years old and was diagnosed 7 years ago. Because I was a nonsmoker my doctors refused to even consider lung cancer. Maybe if I had the biopsy earlier I wouldn't have been diagnosed at Stage 3.

  • Patty C,

    My name is Patty and three years ago I was diagnosed with lung cancer. This was the scariest time in my life. Whenever I have heard of lung cancer, it seemed to always be fatal. Plus, I have had several friends, and relatives who have died as a resul

  • Carolyn W,

    Lung cancer was diagnosed in the love of my life in Nov 2010; he passed in Jan 2011.

  • Suzanne A,

    July 2010 is when I got a diagnosis that I never would have thought possible.

  • Gail M,

    My first recollection of my mother was with a cigarette in her hand. She smoked over 3 packs a day. Imagine this, being in a car with the windows up and experiencing second hand smoke, one cigarette lit over and over again.

  • Shawne P,

    I suffer from lung cancer. Not because I have or had it, but my mother did and passed away over a year ago.

  • Melissa C,

    It was July 21st, 2014. My husband and I had just taken my two sons (5 and 7 years old, at the time) to the Museum of Science and Industry. We had a great day. When I got home, I got a call from my step-mother that I and my siblings needed to go over

  • Kathleen M,

    Lung cancer affected me before I was 16. I didn't have cancer myself but my father did. He died from lung cancer shortly after my 18th birthday in 1995, after enduring chemo and radiation - the cancer had spread everywhere.

  • Roxanne R,

    In January of 2015, at the age of 64, Rose Ann Alderete, my mother, was diagnosed with lung cancer. The cancer was found in the lining of her lungs and was detected at Stage 4. She had been experiencing pain in her back for a few weeks and went to th

  • Cheryl F,

    My aunt was a smoker and passed away from lung cancer a few years ago. Please, if you smoke... Stop.. If you don't, please don't start.

  • Ronald E,

    Cathy Elliott was my hero and my mom. She was a heavy smoker - I remember growing up asking her to quit over and over again. My sister would also ask her as well, but she was just addicted.

  • Katherine K,

    My lung cancer was found accidentally. I was also told I have mild emphysema. I had no symptoms, no idea that I had cancer growing in my lung.

  • Tarena H,

    Here's my story. Yes, my Dad was a smoker. But he had stopped for 20+ years ago. He died from lung cancer 2 years ago at the age of 83. Last week my 69 year old husband was diagnosed with Non-Smoker Lung Cancer! My husband has worked around aviation

  • Martha B,

    On May 17, 2001, I was operated on for a mass in my upper left lobe. It was diagnosed as undifferentiated large cello malignancy. It was removed by a lobectomy of that lung , as well as some lymph nodes that were effected.

  • Sherry F,

    It's two and a half years later and I am still feeling suffocated by loss.

  • Joy D,

    In July 2015, I was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. I was a healthy, active and hardworking 38 year old gal who was feeling run down and thought I had chest cold – or, maybe bronchitis or pneumonia at the worst.

  • Debra T,

    She quit smoking 3 times in her life. The first time was when she was 33 and had been smoking for 23 years. She tried smoking the first time when she was just 10 years old, as did most of us – but, unlike most of us who never picked up another cigare

  • TJ F,

    While playing college and high school football, TJ Fischer was always fearful of displaying his asthma to his team or the opposition, with the thought it would make him look weaker. So instead of using his inhaler during time off the field, he would

  • Nicolette I,

    I'm a 23 year old, blessed, recent lung cancer survivor.

  • June B,

    In early 2002 I was originally diagnosed with Stage 2 Uterine Cancer and had a radical hysterectomy followed by 18 rounds of radiation treatments. Over the next five years I did very well and in mid-2007 reached my 5 years cancer free. However, my ha

  • Nancy K,

    I never thought that I would be talking about lung cancer because I never smoked. I have had three major health battles in the last few years. My first battle was cardiomyopathy, the second was a brain tumor which caused a stroke and I lost motor con

  • Linda R,

    Lung cancer affected my life and the life of my daughter and family, because my mom died of it. She was a life-long smoker until the last ten years of her life, but I still don't know if smoking really was the cause of her death, because she also liv

  • Samantha H,

    My dad was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in 2006. I had lost a friend the year before from small cell lung cancer, so I knew what that diagnosis meant. He had quit smoking more than 20 years before his diagnosis. He lived about a year and los

  • Nicole S,

    I am writing on behalf of my mother Joanne Schlosser who passed away April 23, 2016 after a five month battle with Stage IV lung cancer. My mom was a smoker; we always knew she had emphysema and had to have follow up appointments. In late November of

  • Lori S,

    "You have Stage IV lung cancer and there is no cure." I heard these words 15 years ago as I sat in a doctor's office with my mother. My healthy, strong, beautiful, non-smoking mother. Seven months later she was gone – seven months of pain, fear, and

  • Shirley R,

    My brother was diagnosed with mesothelioma just 2 months ago. He was not aware of symptoms.

  • Tabatha H,

    I have chosen to share my story to help society become more aware of how lung disease affects so many people -- especially in my family and possibly myself.

  • Wayne U,

    I was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma cancer in August of 2014. It was found in my left kidney which was subsequently surgically removed. I was told that it was cancer free and of course I was much relieved.

  • Marian J,

    Hi! My name is Marian and this is my story. In 2011, I had tests done after I broke 3 ribs. At that time, "something" was discovered in my left lung. In January of 2012, after further testing and many opinions, I had a resection of my left lung. The

  • Kara H, AL

    I was diagnosed about 3 months ago with stage 4 adenocarcinoma (a non-small cell lung cancer). I am a 34 year old non-smoking woman. I led a very healthy lifestyle prior to this.

  • Donna M,

    In 2008 I had a cold that wouldn't go away. That's not like me; I'm never really sick. I had a doctor appointment for the following Monday, just a check-up, when I got there and told him about my cold he listened to my lungs and immediately sent me f

  • Jen H,

    I have non-small cell lung cancer since February of 2014. I was 67 years old then.

  • Phil L,

    I always thought of myself as a strong person, I served in the Marines for 20 years and I believed I could overcome most anything life threw at me. I was wrong.

  • Sue Rusch S,

    I have been through standard treatment for 2 1/2 years, including radiation and chemo. I was on Opdivo for 6 months, but it didn't work! It landed me in the hospital with a collapsed lung in February 2016! YIKES!

  • Julie R,

    My mother was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in October 2014 at the age of 61 years old. She was otherwise healthy and was a non-smoker so the diagnosis came as a bit of a shock to our family.

  • Steve C,

    Thirteen years ago I watched my mother die a very unpleasant death from lung cancer. A year later I was in the E.R. twice with asthma and have allergies but am doing much better since the ALA office in Colonie New York gave me the name of a local ast

  • June V,

    My husband and I were given a diagnosis of my having lung cancer last week, although I'd been having health issues since July that were lung-related. I'm having a couple of biopsies tomorrow on a rib and lymph nodes as it seems to have shown up on th

  • Dennis O,

    Being diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer in December, 2011, I thought I was given a death sentence.

  • Melanie M,

    Days before my 50th birthday in August 2014, I went to work feeling ill, but tried to push through it. My co-workers insisted I go to the ER as I did not look well. Taking their advice, a day at the ER came with a diagnosis that I may have pneumonia.

  • Sally R,

    I was 52 years old and woke up with an eye problem called Iritis. Thank goodness for the doctors at the Cincinnati Eye Institute; within a few weeks, I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. I would be dead if not for the persistence of the docto

  • Stephanie G,

    My grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer at 83, 40 years after she stopped smoking.

  • Angela L,

    My name is Angela Lee (52 years old) and I was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in July, 2015. I had little to no symptoms and was very active, playing sports and going to the gym every other day when I was diagnosed.

  • Michael H,

    We all become involved with organizations like the American Lung Association for a variety of reasons. Everyone has a story to tell. I would like to take a few minutes and share my story with you as to why I got involved.

  • Rian V,

    My struggle started when I had my first asthmatic episode at thirteen months old.

  • Jacqueline O,

    In June of 2013 my family lost our Aunt Toni to lung cancer. Than in June of 2015 we lost our grandmother, also to lung cancer. And once again in October of 2015 we lost our father to none other than lung cancer.

  • Robin B,

    My mom was hospitalized with severe blood clots in her neck and arm. In the process of finding the cause, the doctors found a small nodule on her lungs.

  • Temoore R,

    May 18th of last year was the day that I lost my father. It was the day that I lost my role model, the person that taught me everything I knew. I eventually realized that he was never coming back. My family had been changed forever.

  • Lisa W,

    My beautiful, beautiful mom and best friend lost her battle in June of 2013. She was first diagnosed with lung cancer several years prior. She was always a heavy smoker - even having a cigarette while walking in to have the upper lobe of her lung rem

  • Monique M,

    My story starts with the shocking news that my mother, Dotty, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer on July 25, 2016. It had already spread to her bones, liver, and kidney. I had just seen my mother the weekend of June 1, 2016 doing the regular shop

  • Kathy S,

    My family has been devastated by lung cancer. I cared for two brothers as they fought lung cancer, a battle they both lost.

  • Dawn L,

    In 2013, my Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. Unfortunately, it was caught at a very late stage, but even so, my sister and I stood up to lung cancer, and we let Mom know that she was not fighting this alone.

  • Sharon E,

    I diagnosed February of 2006 Stage 3A Squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer. I was 43 years of age with three children. And I was terrified.

  • Susan L,

    I just heard a LUNG FORCE representative speak on Line One Your Health Connection, a medical related radio program on our local public radio station. She mentioned that when someone reports that they have been diagnosed with lung cancer they are ofte

  • Sandra H,

    Hi, my name is Sandy Helmin-Clazmer. My story dates back to 1987. I was teaching in Racine, Wisconsin and was finishing my last semester of grad school. During that time, I was plagued with a dry chronic cough and frequent bouts of laryngitis.

  • Ellen S,

    Late in 2013, 930 miles apart, I sat on the other line of a phone call that changed our lives. My mom had just been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to her lymph nodes and adrenal gland. I sat in stunned silence as the doctor

  • Rodney T,

    My father was diagnosed with lung cancer, He quit smoking in 1955. He was experiencing chest pain so he went to the doctor who ordered X-rays and CAT scans.

  • Tracey E,

    My mother was diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer in May of 2015 just 5 months before my wedding.

  • Anne F,

    My family has a long history of heart disease, so I always expected that would be my health problem to deal with. Sometimes life doesn't give you what you're expecting. I certainly never expected to get lung cancer.

  • Erica A,

    "Ok, it's my turn." That's what ran through my head the moment the doctor gently told me its most likely lung cancer.

  • Angela E,

    In September 2014 my Mom became ill, she would go to the doctor and be told it was a really bad cold, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. One morning, my mom started coughing up blood, and I instantly new we were dealing with something else.

  • Daphne R,

    My name is Daphne. I grew up on the small island of Aunu'u, American Samoa. I remember being a young teenager when my Mom, Meleke, developed an on-going cough. My Mom visited the doctor on island often to check on her cough. They either told her it w

  • Anastasia E,

    Through secondhand smoking, I got chronic asthma. All 3 kids had numerous mysterious ear bleeds, which were attributed to secondhand smoking later on. My dad finally quit. But, he coughed up blood on our white kitchen sink one night. Months later, he

  • Christina M,

    My mother, Donna, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer on August 23, 2013. The lung cancer had already metastasized to bone cancer. Only 5-1/2 short weeks later, my mom passed away on October 1, 2013 at only 67 years old. The bone cancer was diagno

  • Jeanne B,

    March 2015 I woke up with intense pain in my stomach. I rushed to the hospital where I had my gall bladder removed. The doctor gave me my X-rays and told me to see my primary doctor right away. There were two nodules on my right lung.

  • Harvey R,

    I was told back in April of last year that I had stage 4 small cell lung cancer.

  • Angela N,

    My sister, Tracy Ann was diagnosed with lung cancer on June 17, 2016. She passed away 6 months to the day of her diagnosis on December 17, 2016. What I don't understand about her diagnosis is, why did it take so long to get an MRI to diagnoses the di

  • Keisha S,

    In October 2015 my mother was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer right after her 61st birthday.

  • Peter W,

    My wife Helen and I always "clicked" throughout our 30 years of marriage. She was the love of my life and my very best friend. Together, we have two children. Helen was diagnosed with non-smoker's lung cancer on June 12th, 2013.

  • Jennifer J,

    My story is about my aunt Helen. She was misdiagnosed at first with stage 1 lung cancer and a month later was told it was stage 4.

  • Maureen W,

    Hi, my name is Maureen and I am the face of a lung cancer survivor!

  • Sophia H,

    We never know when our life could end or when everything could just come crashing down and our whole existence is over. We always think we have time. We think we have 80 years on this earth but that is not always the case.

  • Victoria H,

    Cathy Warden-Daniels and Victoria Hunter are local business owners and sisters. The Lung Force cause is very dear to their hearts. They believe early detection would have helped warn their family five years ago.

  • Lisa L,

    I was a 46-year-old woman with a lot of life to live. An IT Technician by trade, it was my nature to fix things.

  • Lonny Q,

    I grew up on a small farm in rural northern North Dakota, graduated from high school and joined the Army. I served my country, received honorable discharge, and returned back to North Dakota. I married my wife Lana, and together we had a daughter and

  • Laurie Z,

    Although we have not had first-hand experience with this disease, a college classmate was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer less than five years after graduation, and died very quickly after his diagnosis, leaving his wife a widow at 23.

  • Jan G,

    My dad was a lifelong pipe smoker, and died from lung cancer Dec. 15, 1988. Other than that, he had always been very healthy.

  • Pamela B,

    My story begins with a doctor visit thinking I had the flu. I had been sick for over a month and could not seem to shake it. When they called me in for an X-ray consultation and she told me to bring someone with me...I knew that something was terribl

  • Eunice R,

    On June 6,2016 I had a routine mammogram since there is a big history of breast cancer in my family; mother, sister and niece. I am pretty faithful at having a mammogram done every year.

  • Heather P,

    Losing my mother to lung cancer has been the most difficult thing I've ever experienced in my life. Born with a cleft lip and palate, my mom was there for me and took care of me after every surgery. Being an only child brought us even closer. She was

  • Beth M,

    Beth's story really begins with her mother. In 1981, Beth's mother Rita, found out she had cancer quite by accident. Rita had fallen and thought that she may have broken a rib.

  • Dorothy S,

    My Mom, Franky, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to her liver in the spring of 2014. The day we learned her prognosis was 18 months changed our lives forever.

  • Lisa E,

    I guess in the back of our minds we sometimes fear the worst, but never expect it can happen to us. Well back in the summer of 2014 I started feeling much different and not for the better. It started with a simple cough that just wouldn't go away. Ea

  • Elizabeth Z, IA

    My Aunt Cathy began smoking before she knew the risks. She was young and it was a time when smoking was promoted as a glamorous activity.

  • Tia G,

    My name is Tia Gray. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 1996. Sarcoidosis is a disease that can stop you suddenly and leave your life on pause, a disease that will bring several challenges which force you to pull from what gives you strength.

  • Marlene D,

    I fell in April 2016 and went for an X-ray of my arm and they saw nodules on my lungs. I was lucky enough to have surgery on July 13, 2016 even though it was not in a great area to reach. One thoracic surgeon took the chance.

  • Aleta J,

    I was just diagnosed on Jan. 20, 2017. I will be fighting this head on and I have a wonderful man, siblings, children and friends to stand behind me.

  • Maureen W,

    One small little nodule in my husband's right lung. Just 3 cm...barely an inch in length. It was uncovered when my husband Tom, age 60, had gone to the ER in June 2015 with what we thought had been a mini-stroke. Instead of a stroke, they found two m

  • Deborah C,

    A few days before my 48th birthday, I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Luckily it was caught early enough that it didn't require chemo or radiation. However, a PET scan revealed a nodule in my lung.

  • Judy M,

    I was one of the lucky ones; I found my cancer by a fluke. At work one Friday, I noticed that my ankles were extremely swollen. Now women get swollen ankles -- if we are on our feet too long, wear high heels, etc. But this was different.

  • Jennie V,

    Two time lung cancer survivor, 2003 and 2013. Ten years apart, blessed to still be here.

  • Jennifer S,

    Hi, let me introduce myself to many that may not know me. I am Jenn and I suffer from COPD at the young age of 42 years old. I don't even know where to start, so I will start from the beginning.

  • Stephanie S,

    Just before Thanksgiving in 2014, at age 45, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. A non-smoker, I share this story in hopes that it may help you or someone you know.

  • Ram K,

    My father (age 85) has suddenly lost his voice. An ENT doctor suggested a CT scan, and the CT scan showed a small lump in his lungs. An oncologist suggested for a PET CT.

  • Janette B,

    When I was 62 years old, I went to my primary care doctor for a complete physical. I wanted to have blood tests and a chest X-ray so I would have a baseline reading to refer to in future years. Because I am a former smoker, I was concerned about the

  • Lindsay S,

    August of 2016 my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was only 49. We didn't know how quickly the cancer had spread until a few weeks later.

  • Patricia C,

    My story had been shared in 2015. I made another two years because of my wonderful MGH Oncology Team.

  • Mikey P,

    I will never forget the moment I learned my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was July 15, 2015. At that time I was living in Florida for work and was seriously contemplating a permanent relocation. It was a day like any other day. My mom and I

  • Carol C,

    I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and tested positive with ALK gene mutation in December 2016.

  • Stephen M,

    My name is Steve Mitchell and I am 27 years old. I am from northeast Ohio. I have always had asthma but it got worse as an adult.

  • Sarah N,

    When you hear the word cancer it tends to make time stand still; for my family time stopped in 2013.

  • Stephanie E,

    Three years ago, when I was 45 years old, I was diagnosed with ALK1+ lung cancer. For three months my doctors tried to find out why I was so short of breath with a chronic cough. Then I had a CT and they found multiple tumors in my lung, liver and sc

  • Suzana B,

    My father one day in September had swollen fingers and feet and felt ok. He went to a cardiologist and pulmologist. They were treating him for rheumatoid arthritis for six months. After severe bone pain, my father was told one month ago that it was n

  • Shelley L,

    After six months of testing in search of a diagnosis, I had thorascopic lung surgery on March 3, 2013 and was diagnosed with Stage 4 NSCLC. Subsequent diagnostic tests revealed that I have the ALK gene mutation.

  • Jane S,

    I didn't even feel sick. All I had was a cough--a cough that just wouldn't go away. Because I had never smoked no one suspected lung cancer.

  • Taryn L,

    As a family we did everything to enjoy the fresh air and take advantage of the outdoor opportunities. After graduating from the backpack and stroller, each year I learned something new.

  • Mackena B,

    My papa was always my biggest fan and came to nearly all my races. When he was diagnosed with lung cancer, we were devastated. Just six weeks later, heaven gained an angel. In honor of my papa's memory, I have joined LUNG FORCE to fight the #1 cancer

  • Carmella A,

    May of 2006 my sister Linda became ill with what we thought was pneumonia. It lasted all summer long. Every time I talked with her over the phone her coughing got worse and worse. In September 2006, she finally got her doctor to send her to a pulmona

  • Anne P,

    I was diagnosed at the age of 42. Lung cancer can easily go undetected and is particularly dangerous because it often spreads throughout the body before diagnosis.

  • Tricia L,

    Growing up I was never very athletic and got out of breath easily. As a cheerleader, I always struggled. Once in high school while playing soccer the coaches thought I was hyperventilating, and handed me a paper bag to breathe into to recover.

  • Sandi J,

    I began smoking when I was 16. It turned into a two pack-a-day habit I had for 30 years. I tried many times to quit, with success lasting from six hours to six months.

  • Lindsey M, KY

    This deficiency leaves our lungs without the normal protection most people's bodies have against air pollutants and...

  • Tammy B,

    As many people have termed it, my diagnosis of metastatic lung cancer was every single mother's worst nightmare and came out of the blue.

  • Ashely K,

    So, my mom has always been the one to take care of family; the impervious one who could never get sick even if she tried...or so we thought. Moms are supposed to be the ones to take care of us, I assumed I would have at least 20 more years before I h

  • Jennifer A,

    One summer, I had a cough that just wouldn't go away. It seemed to get worse over the course of a month.

  • MJ

    I am 50 years old and have smoked for 38 of those years. Before that my dad smoked in the car, the house, wherever he was.

  • Kelly C,

    Dennis McGorry, Sr. was a healthy, active family physician still working in his 70s and keeping up his decades old habit of 5 a.m visits to the gym every morning. He played golf frequently, traveled and was always attending one of his eight grandkids

  • Mary H,

    In middle school I always got out of breath doing exercise and we thought nothing of it. When I got bronchitis in 10th grade it never got better with medication.

  • Cathy B,

    "You have Stage 3 lung cancer." When I heard my diagnosis four and a half years ago, I immediately remembered my mother and her death from lung cancer 22 years ago. She died two weeks after her diagnosis while I remain cancer-free almost five years l

  • Janet M,

    I have been diagnosed with cancer twice. The first time was for breast cancer in 2009. The second time was for lung cancer in 2013 after a routine exam. I had surgery shortly after my diagnosis and am currently in remission! Along with being a lung c

  • Nancy V,

    In 2009, after coughing uncontrollably for years, I started to develop back pain and was coughing up blood. I brought myself to the hospital where, after several tests, I was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. In complete disbelief, I immedia

  • Laura W,

    When I was just 12 years old, I lost my beloved Grandpa (Gordon Bailey) to lung cancer. He was a life-long smoker.

  • Adam K,

    After spending 39 days on the island of Fiji competing in, and winning, Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X in 2016, I returned home to be with my mother, Susie, who had been battling stage 4 lung cancer. Just one hour after I returned home, my mom lost

  • Rebecca R,

    I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in June of 2015. I had lost my own mother to metastatic lung cancer in 1986.

  • EvaMarie M,

    It was Ash Wednesday and I was picking up pizza and then going to church to get ashes when my phone rang. It was my mom.

  • Maureen A,

    When my sister was 30 years old, she made an appointment with her general practitioner, suspecting she had a case of bronchitis. Her doctor was concerned, and ordered an x-ray and later a biopsy of her lung.

  • Angela O,

    Before May 2014, I had never been affected by lung cancer. I didn't know anyone who had been diagnosed with it and I certainly didn't know anyone who had died from it. All of that has changed in such a profound and dramatic way.

  • Susan B,

    In November 2015 I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. Like many, the diagnosis was unexpected and prompted an array of responses that ranged from sadness, complete confusion and absolute uncertainty.

  • Jill F,

    My story is a bit complicated, and started long before I was diagnosed with lung cancer, but in the interest of time I will keep it short.

  • Rhianna M,

    December 3, 2015; the Day my life forever changed. My mother was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in December of 2014. She was being treated by Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida for other health concerns when we were informed of a suspicious nod

  • Roberta S,

    My way of giving back to the community -- I attended a local Zumbathon in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania a few weeks ago sponsored by LUNG FORCE, to honor three of my family members who died of lung cancer and emphysema.

  • Maria L,

    I am a 49 years old and a two time breast cancer survivor. In April 2017 my pet scan revealed a nodule in my left upper lobe.

  • Helene D,

    My friend Gayle was a strong, energetic, in control woman who didn't take nonsense from anyone and was struck by lung cancer and passed three months later.

  • Joy P,

    I live with a chronic lung disease called asthma. I have been an asthmatic my entire life but asthma does not define me; it is just something that I live with. Live being the key word.

  • Kim O,

    My story began in March of 2016. Durning routine physical, suspicion led to an immediate mammogram, ultrasound and a three-dimensional mammogram. My cancer presented as breast cancer initially. A second opinion then suggested lung cancer and/or both.

  • Carol T, LA

    My name is Carol Taylor. In October 1979 my dad lost his battle with lung cancer. As a young woman, I was in a place in my life where I did not realize what he was going through as he fought this battle. I had never seen anyone go through lung cancer

  • Rachael M, MN

    My name is Rachael. I define myself by being a strong mother, wife, military service member and career woman. I was a former collegiate and national team athlete who has never smoked or done a drug in my life.

  • Wendi L, MS

    I am parent-less now thanks to lung cancer. I am a registered nurse and I couldn't keep them alive. My father died four years ago at the age of 67 of Small Cell Carcinoma of the lungs.

  • Julie C, IL

    My mom, Mary, was diagnosed with Stage IV SCLC right after my wedding. She selflessly didn't tell me about it until I got back from my honeymoon in order to ensure I went.

  • Andrea H, NV

    I lost a dear friend to COPD in 2013. It is so easy to take something as simple as breathing for granted, but it's not so simple for everyone.

  • Penny N, NV

    My high school classmate found out three years into their military career that he had lung cancer. He never smoked a day in his life.

  • Nancy M, NV

    I had lung cancer with 18 lymph nodes (clear & negative). I lost 20% of upper lung lobe. I owe my life to the tons of anti-oxidants and my new diet I eat - plus going to the gym and exercise is key.

  • Angela C, VA

    My name is Angela. I'm 46 year old. I first was impacted by lung cancer at an early age seven, to be exact. I lost my grandfather to this disease in 1978.

  • Mary M, PA

    My mother was a smoker all of her life. She died three years ago of lung cancer. This is the most difficult thing to go through as a family member watching your loved one whittle away in front of your eyes.

  • David G, CA

    In March 2017, I went to see my GP for coughing and he suggested I get a lung x-ray, which I haven't had in years. Didn't think I needed one since I was a non-smoker. The x-ray came back showing a 2.5 cm mass on my upper right lobe.

  • Tracey S, CO

    My mother passed away April 3, 2017 after a three-year fight with lung cancer. My grandfather passed away June 2, 2017 from lung cancer and my dad has COPD.

  • Kristi C, ID

    I lost both my mom and my grandma to lung cancer, and they were not smokers. Within six weeks of diagnosis, after just a month in hospice my grandma died, and my mom only got one year after her diagnosis. She was only 62.

  • Ashley K, WI

    In August of 2016 my mom developed a cough that eventually caused her to go meet with her doctor. She was told that she had bronchitis, was given medication and sent home to rest. When her cough persisted she went back to her doctor and was then sent

  • Kellee M, FL

    On Dec. 11, 2014, my mom was having chest pain for a couple hours and it was very difficult to breathe, so she went to the hospital and asked my dad to meet her there. The hospital ran some tests thinking it was her heart but all checked out good the

  • Linda K, PA

    My name is Linda and I'm an ex-smoker. Sadly, I have always, until recently, felt that I had to add this as a preface or add a postscript to any conversation I had regarding my health. As if somehow I deserved anything that was wrong with me.

  • Sara J, SC

    July 22, 2016; the day my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and our lives were turned upside down. We were shocked. Speechless. Scared. Sad.

  • Linda S, FL

    It is with many blessings, prayers, family, friends and very special doctors and surgeons that I am here to share my story. I was a closet smoker for approximately 20 years. I began coughing every morning and feeling pain in my chest. I knew then tha

  • Frank C, GA

    Let me start by saying I've never smoked or been around folks that smoke. Two days before Thanksgiving 2015 I broke out in hives...200-300 hives, which led me to my dermatologist. I'd had chronic hives for years, but they'd been under control.

  • Linda D, IL

    I am an RN who works on lung cancer screening at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Here is my story about why and how I became an advocate for lung cancer screening.

  • Jody M, NY

    My mother is battling lung cancer at the moment. She is in stage 1 right now and it is a hard road to watch a loved one sick from this awful disease.

  • Nita S,

    "You're only faced with challenges you're equipped to handle." I don't remember when I first heard that but I was very young at the time, and it left an impression. Because I sailed through the early years of my life with very few problems, I suspect

  • Stacy F,

    Last winter,&nbsp;I got a bad cold that just wouldn't end. After a few weeks of coughing nonstop and feeling awful, I went to see the doctor and I was prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis.&nbsp;A couple of weeks later, nothing had changed, so I did

  • Diane A,

    About six years ago my local medical center offered a free low-dose CT scan of the lungs. I decided, as a former smoker, who smoked for almost 40 years that I should do it.

  • Laurie B, FL

    I moved to North Florida to help my sister go through her cancer experience with chemo and radiation. When she completed her treatments I decided to visit a doctor myself (it had been 1.5 years since I saw a dotcter) and then my journey began.

  • Patty G, AK

    In March 2004, I was on a training run preparing for my 12th marathon, when all of a sudden, I had trouble breathing.

  • Wendi H, IN

    On August 30, 2016 my mom lost her battle with small cell lung cancer. Her battle started with her diagnosis in January 2014.

  • Sandy G,

    I started smoking at an early age and smoked a pack a day for 35 years. I lost my father and my older sister to lung cancer&nbsp;and only wish that they would have been able to take advantage of the Low Dose CT Scan that may have helped save their li

  • Cora H, TN

    Lung cancer became a name in my world in 1994 when my maternal grandmother was diagnosed at the age of 49.

  • Karen W, ND

    In January 2015, the company I worked for offered lung cancer screening as part of the preventative program. I was a smoker of over 40 years so jumped at the chance.

  • Cindy W, LA

    In early 2015, I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. The disease progressed rapidly and by the end of 2015 I was on oxygen 80 percent of my day and my test results were declining.

  • Samantha W, PA

    It was in August of 2010, when my whole life came crashing down. I just got back from Myrtle Beach with my best friend's family. My parents were acting strange when I left, but I didn't think anything of it. I got a text from my mom right before we c

  • Patty C, MI

    My name is Patty C. and I live in Michigan. I am a fortunate lung cancer survivor thanks to early detection.

  • Clifford C, GA

    A backwards story. I was never informed by my healthcare providers of this scan despite fitting the parameters for it. In July 2016, I was tired, but feeling OK. No cough, no hemoptysis, but I was having some memory issues and visual issues.

  • Teresa U, IN

    In December of 2015 my husband asked me to take advantage of a $49 lung scan at Ball Hospital in Muncie, Indiana. Being a smoker I thought it was a good idea.

  • Nance K, MN

    I was always aware that smoking could cause lung cancer, but always you think it will not happen to you! I was part of an experimental program, to do the scan for three years.

  • Donna Q, PA

    A CT scan was done of my heart and a nodule was found in each lung. Each was stage 1, not related to one another.

  • Sandra G, AZ

    My name is Sandra and I wanted to share how lung cancer has affected my life. I grew up in the '60s in a smoking household, so it wasn't surprising that I took up smoking myself as a teenager.

  • Deterice M, LA

    I walk and support lung cancer after finding out my mother had it. I often read about lung cancer and how the disease has affected so many lives.

  • Martha M, PA

    This cancer journey began in December 2015. I had pain in my back like I broke a rib. I called my doctor and she did an x-ray and there it was -- a 4.6 cm mass. I was devastated. I have young children and want to be here for them, so I said I will st

  • Melissa A, LA

    I am walking in support of one of the strongest, smartest, sweetest women I have ever known: my best friend's mother and many others that suffer from this horrible disease.

  • Michael P, NY

    My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer and was only given six months. She fought for two years after until she could no longer fight.

  • Lisa P, WI

    Little did I know that the pain I was feeling in my right shoulder would be the start of my cancer journey but that is how it all started.

  • Eveling C, LA

    Hi, my Name is Eveling W. Chess, and I smoked cigarettes for over 20 years. I was diagnosed with lung cancer in March 2015.

  • Tawny F, OR

    A non-smoker and not exposed to second-hand-smoke, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer on Sept. 11, 2012. She had an upper lobectomy and underwent chemotherapy and radiation and was declared cancer-free by June of 2013. Our entire family was thrill

  • Deb B, WI

    Deb was not a stranger to cancer. At 38, she was diagnosed with stage one uterine cancer and given a good prognosis. However, 14 years later in 2008, cancer metastasized through her system and she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.

  • Judie M,

    Both my father and my sister died at age 72 of lung cancer. They both had smoked for many years. While I also smoked for a few years, I've been quit for over 30 years. I may still get lung cancer, but by quitting smoking, my quality of life drastical

  • Angel H,

    Participating in lung events is very important to me because I lost my mom, Laura Anderson, to lung cancer on December 1, 2012.

  • Ashley D,

    I was the full time caregiver for my grandmother. She was diagnosed on August 1, 2014 and passed away February 17, 2015.

  • Stacey S, AL

    Howard Shaw (Team Poone) was a 54-year-old who had a late diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer.

  • Rhonda H, MI

    My son (25 years old) has asthma and my father has COPD. My mother was recently diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that is inoperable and incurable.

  • Markita H, MI

    I, myself, suffer with asthma. I was diagnosed when I was 29. My father passed when I was 33 from lung cancer. My mother passed when I was 42 from lung and colon cancer.

  • Ronald M, MI

    I survived the past two years of chemo for stage IV lung cancer.

  • Judy S, MI

    My sister was diagnosed on August 1, 2017 with small cell lung cancer. I am tying to learn as much as I can to help fight this disease.

  • Laurine B, MI

    My husband, Andy, has had lung cancer two times and is now in remission.

  • Danielle B,

    I believe I am a lung force hero because I personally have been impacted by lung disease. When I was just in 7th grade I lost my grandfather to pulmonary fibrosis which is a disease that causes the lungs to harden.

  • Denise M, TX

    My name is Denise. When I was 53 years old, I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer of the right lung. It was November 7, 2014. I had a malignant pleural effusion (MPE) that was found after months of symptoms and doctors appointments.

  • Grace M, NM

    I began working with American Lung Association in 2015, after the death of my mother Donna, who had lung cancer.

  • Vickie D, CA

    In 2014, my doctor told me I had lung cancer. Needless to say I was shocked and couldn't believe it. Why? How could this be? It was a gut-wrenching moment. But soon enough, my reaction turned to, "Okay, so what's next and how do I fight this cancer."

  • Stephanie S, NV

    My mother was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2016. That was one of the worse days that I had ever experienced. The agony of watching my mother deteriorate was heart wrenching as well as eye opening.

  • Michelle S, NH

    Many of us have either lived with or watched a loved one struggle with lung disease. My own personal experience with it began when I was 11. I lost my grandmother to lung cancer.

  • Seana Z, CA

    This is the face of lung cancer. I walk because I am proof that it can happen to anyone and we need to unite and find a cure.

  • Nellie S, FL

    Before cancer, doctors were not a thought for me. I was considered a very healthy and active woman. But lung cancer doesn't discriminate against, nonsmokers, age or gender.

  • Margo F,

    Margo's journey began with Thanksgiving day 2015. Later that day she began experiencing difficulty breathing so she went to the hospital to have her injury(s) assessed. The x-ray showed that she had two fractured ribs, and it also revealed nodules pr

  • Frank S, NE

    I'm 38 years old and have been surviving a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis since June 2014. So much of lung cancer advocacy has been about smoking cessation, but I'm here to tell you that non-smokers get lung cancer too!

  • Kimberly Y, IN

    My name is Kimberly Young, and I am a lung cancer survivor! I was smoker, and for many years I had heard people said more people get lung cancer that don't smoke than people who do smoke, so I formed in my mind that since I was a smoker I probably wo

  • Keishan M, FL

    Every so often, you will get a call or email from me, inviting you to "Join us as we make lung cancer a cause people care about, and act on." Recently, I received an email that was very impactful, and made me want to share why LUNG FORCE is important

  • Nadia A, GA

    In October of 2014 my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer. She gave me the life-changing news when I was about to board a plane traveling back home from California to Atlanta.

  • Kathy L, WA

    My name is Kathy. My journey the last four years has brought me to serve on the Leadership Council for the Oregon American Lung Association. My mission is to advocate for all the lung cancer survivors today.

  • Murty M, CA

    I am a scientist and was diagnosed with the affliction of COPD during my 55th year. I have been under the care of very good primary and pulmonary physicians for the last 33 years.

  • Stephanie H, WI

    This story is about my mother who was diagnosed with COPD. She was not aware of having this chronic disease until the year of 2011.

  • Robert P, AZ

    My journey began very suddenly in November 2015 with several hospitalizations and surgeries to treat an elbow wound of unknown origin.

  • Tina C, AL

    I'm Tina Castello, thank you so much for allowing me to share my story.

  • Eileen C, VT

    In December 2004, at the age of 58 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The tumor was found as the result of an ultrasound.

  • Stephen T, KY

    My name is Steve Tong a native and long term resident of Louisville. Kentucky. In the latter part of 2014, my mother Betty suggested that I participate in a test she had recently seen in Today's Woman magazine that she consistently read. The test was

  • Paul W, KS

    In May 2015, my life was normal as I enjoyed a successful career, family and social life. That was about to change. The third week of May I noticed my breathing was not quite what I thought it should be.

  • Margaret P, CA

    I started smoking as a teen. That was fifty-seven years ago. I KNEW that I had COPD after many X-rays over the years. I did not have many symptoms other than shortness of breath, at times and had several bouts with pneumonia.

  • Sara G, IA

    My mother, Raelene, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in April 2010. Before her diagnosis, experience shortness of breath and persistent bronchitis. She went through many rounds of antibiotics and they weren't working.

  • Dara G, AK

    The summer of 1973, only a few weeks before I turned 13, my family moved to a small town in eastern Oregon. We lived a couple blocks from the park and swimming pool where my first weekend in town I saw Sam at a swim meet. If he were here today, he wo

  • LaKesha J, GA

    My name is La'Kesha Johnson, and I am a survivor, fighter and mother. While having a chest CT Scan administered for a non-related issue, a nodule was detected on my right lung on Friday, September 12, 2014. After a follow-up CT scan confirmed the nod

  • Timothy A, CA

    Fifteen years ago, my wife and I were blessed with our second child, also our first daughter, Ashley Nicole Adams. One day, her mother and I noticed that she was easily winded while playing and had difficulty breathing.

  • Martha H, IL

    Ever since I was a little girl, I've been surrounded by tobacco use. Even now as I enjoy retirement, tobacco continues to affect my life.

  • Kimberley S, AZ

    I will be walking with my family in support of my husband who was just diagnosed with small cell carcinoma in July. This type of lung cancer has no cure but it is treatable. He has spent many days away from home due to getting sick and having to be a

  • Tina M, VT

    I was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in June of 2016. This has impacted my life considerably. I am confident that I will beat this, I have to for my boys.

  • Rae S, NJ

    In the fall of 2013, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset was running a promotion advertising on the radio. On my way home one night I actually paid attention to the ad. "Come in and for $99, have a lung scan," the ad said.

  • Doris C, NC

    My journey began in the fall of 2015. In September, while vacationing in Colorado, I completed a difficult rated hike. It was my first time at such a high altitude and I was nervous, but I didn't have any problems completing the hike.

  • Debra F, AL

    On December 24, 2002 my father was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was treated with chemo and radiation but died on June 7, 2003. That day changed my family's life forever.

  • Rose G, MA

    For more than 20 years, my husband Alan has participated in the Autumn Escape Bike Trek, the American Lung Association's three-day cycling fundraiser that begins in Plymouth, MA and ends in Cape Cod.

  • Sherri R, NY

    My mother has had COPD for many years (is from the generation that smoked before anybody knew about the damage it could cause) and I thank with all my heart the Lung Association and LUNG FORCE for all of the research that has been done and continues

  • Noreen P, NY

    I am here today on a whim. I'll never forget it, it was a simple question I ask my doctor, and a simple response that saved my life. I was smoke free for a little over a year after being a pack a day smoker for thirty plus years.

  • Beatriz S, FL

    Hi, I'm Beatriz Sarmiento. I am 84 years old. I had emphysema for the past 12 years, and I am also a twice left lung cancer survivor.

  • Tina A, AL

    My journey started December of 2016. I had a regular PCP visit for which I was being treated for chronic back pain (thoracic area). The medication I was taking was not working as well as it should so my doctor said, "Let's just do an x-ray and see if

  • Barb R, MA

    My story begins with a persistent cough that was diagnosed as pneumonia with no x-ray done. The medication I was given did not work, back to the doctor (twice), more medication that still did not help.

  • Darlene B, PA

    I was very tired so my medical doctor ordered a sleep study for me and then the suggested I go see a lung doctor. I had slight sleep apnea the doctor suggested If I would want to be tested for lung cancer screening because I was over 50 and been smok

  • Sam Z, AL

    In November of 2017 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. It has truly hit home for me and it hurts me deeply that I cannot help. I want to raise awareness for such a terrible disease to help prevent this feeling for others!

  • Jeffrey T, VT

    My story begins in the summer of 2009 when I had an appointment with my doctor for a severe cough after eating. My doctor told me I needed to change my diet and lose weight, which I did.

  • Lydia J, IN

    I've learned several things since being diagnosed with lung cancer in March 2016. You must advocate for yourself, the disease is not just for smokers, it's not an automatic death sentence, and it causes you to prioritize your life. I began coughing b

  • Bettye G, MO

    Last fall, I had a physical examination and I asked for a CT scan. I met the recommended requirements and was approved for a low-dose CT scan. The results were shocking! There was a benign nodule on my left lung and it was removed using a procedure c

  • Penny G, NY

    My mother, Gloria Young, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer in 2006. My mother was determined to fight it, but the cancer had already taken over. She died less than six months later at the age of 61.

  • Ashley S, OK

    In July 2017, I went to see a pulmonologist for shortness of breath, thinking it was probably only asthma. After an x-ray revealed a spot on my left lung my mind began racing.

  • Diane R, TX

    We were experiencing 120 EMS calls for asthma symptoms a school year due to students' not having access to medication on campus

  • Browyn K, TX

    School Nurse in Northeast Independent School District in San Antonio shares her thoughts about adopting a stock bronchodilator policy for the district.

  • Kateri L, AZ

    October 30, 2015 will forever be the day my world changed. That day I heard those words that no person wants to hear…"you have cancer." I kept questioning how this could happen to me.

  • Patricia B, NV

    Lung disease has impacted my life in many ways. My grandmother developed COPD after smoking for many years and working in a cardboard box factory. I would sit with her while she did her breathing treatments and watch her be tethered to her oxygen. Sh

  • Judy H, NC

    I had an uncle who died from lung cancer and a sister who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008. I had been a pack a day smoker for probably 35 years at that point. My uncle's death and sister's diagnosis scared me and I quit smoking in April of 200

  • Sarah M, MT

    On a full moon night, walking on a beach in Puerto Morelos, Scott asked me to marry him. And just ten days later, when we had returned home to Montana from traveling in Mexico and then the UK to visit Scott's family, Scott was diagnosed with terminal

  • Shawna Z,

    My mother was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer 2.5 years ago! She immediately started chemo and radiation. After her six month round she then went on to what they called a maintenance program. Up until February of this year 2015 she had remained on

  • Noreen P, NY

    I am here today on a whim. I'll never forget it, it was a simple question I ask my doctor, and a simple response that saved my life. I was smoke free for a little over a year after being a pack a day smoker for thirty-plus years.

  • Dineen C, NY

    Our story began in July when our feisty mother became out of breath while babysitting her youngest grandchild. Mom made a doctors appointment and went in for some blood work and other tests. On August 3, mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. While we w

  • Milagros R, NY

    I just lost my only sister of 51 years old. After the hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico my sister wasn't feeling well. Since she was diabetic we where thinking that because the lack of proper food, medication and water, her sugar levels where unstable,

  • Teri G, NJ

    My primary physician told me about the screening (which I'd never heard of) due to my smoking history. She suggested I read up on it, and I decided to do it. I was fortunate to have an MD Anderson Cancer Center nearby, so all my screenings and care h

  • David G, NC

    In the summer of 2013, after a courageous three-year struggle, I lost my younger sister to lung cancer. She was a life-long smoker.

  • Maria D, MI

    I wish that my mother was here to tell her own story, but because of asthma, that can't happen. Instead, I will tell it and hope that it brings awareness to the severity of lung diseases.

  • Michael C, ME

    In 2014, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. I took to finding a way I could deal with this news.

  • Indea C, IL

    I'm a 32-year-old mother of a 12-year-old girl, student, disabled, handicap, ex-CNA, caring, loving person, would give my last, love to help others.

  • Julie P, IA

    In October of 2014, I went to the doctor for a cough that wouldn't go away and for sciatica pain in my right hip. My doctor said it was a cold and would go away over time and gave me a mild pain pill.

  • Marie M, TX

    I'm 49 years old and a wife and mother of three. I was diagnosed with lung cancer on Dec. 7, 2010. I had a lobectomy, followed by chemo and radiation.

  • Glenda M, SD

    I feel very fortunate to be able to share my story about lung cancer. My diagnosis came quite unexpected since I am a nonsmoker. It began when I developed a cough during a time when other's were having similar coughs.

  • Denise H, MO

    July 2016 I got a low-dose CT scan as a long time smoker when I found out it was available through my health insurance at no charge.

  • Joye Lee M, MS

    My name is Joye Lee McNelis. I am 55 years old, a Christian, wife, mother of two, and a YaYa to Emma Grace, my little granddaughter.

  • Douglas C, CT

    I participated in the 2016 Fight For Air Climb – Hartford on Saturday April 23 as a firefighter. Our team finished as the Fastest Team and I tied a team member as the 5th fasted member of our team with a time of 9:44 for the 34 floors and 688 steps.

  • Paul M, PA

    I am 78 years old and I was a smoker for about 40+ years. I quit smoking 21 years ago. I have routine CT scans and a nodule was detected in June 2017. A followup scan was done in September, followed by a pet scan in October.

  • Ellen S, ND

    I am a retired oncology nurse by profession. I can not count the times I have witnessed the devastation a cancer diagnosis brings to a patient and their families. Smoking is usually the root of ones lung cancer diagnosis. It can lead to other illness

  • Patrice A, CA

    Small cell lung cancer stole my mom; my person. She had the greatest laugh and a remarkable way of making people feel good.

  • Renee V, MN

    My life has been impacted by several lung diseases. First, my youngest son, Nathan, suffers from asthma that is brought on by respiratory illnesses. I spent many a night in the ER as I was getting to know how to best treat him for his asthma. We have

  • Ellen S, AL

    Our story is about BOOP; a short story, sadly too short. The love of my life, Pat, and I were best friends, he was my rock - a large burly man full of life.

  • Cheryl H, MI

    What are the chances that one person has two parents that are afflicted with lung cancer? Well, that's my story...I was only 22 years old when my dad was diagnosed.

  • Lois L,

    I have been aware of lung cancer for a long time. My mother died of lung cancer in 1997 and my cousin died in 2007. Then in February, 2009 I was diagnosed with lung cancer. Since then, another cousin died in 2016. There have been four of us, but I am

  • Clara L, TX

    I have just been chosen as a LUNG FORCE Hero for the state of Texas. I am also finishing my fifth year of volunteering every Thursday morning in the Cancer Center Memorial Herman Greater Heights, where I was treated and healed and July 1 celebrate th

  • Hassina L, CA

    When I was diagnosed with advanced Stage 4 Lung Cancer (EGFR mutation) in November 2016, the future looked bleak given the very depressing statistics of this disease. Never having ever smoked and having always enjoyed excellent health, the diagnosis

  • Diane M, OH

    I was a diagnosed in December 2014 after getting X-rays for a sore shoulder. Thought I was dealing with a shoulder issue since I have played and coached volleyball.

  • Rachel H,

    Ruth E. Ross was a mother, sister, daughter and friend. As a nurse, she dedicated many years of life to helping others and making this world a better place. She truly believed that having compassion for others, regardless of what walk of life they co

  • Carla P, TX

    In 2012 just before my 52nd birthday, I was preparing for bariatric surgery. As part of the pre-op a chest x-ray was required. I have always been a non-smoker and other than being "Super Obese" I felt fine so I thought this was just a formality.

  • Sierra S, OH

    Twenty-three years ago the most amazing person I know brought me into the world, my mother. I have never met a more loving, voice of reason in my life.

  • Jim H, AZ

    In 2013, I was diagnosed with a disease that has no determined cause or cure. My doctors told me that my lungs would deteriorate but they couldn't predict at what rate. I was instructed to get my affairs in order and enjoy the rest of my very-limited

  • Jance S, PA

    My husband Pete was diagnosed with non-small cell Adenocarcinoma in May 2015. No symptoms until he was Stage IV.

  • Dawn M, AZ

    Thank you for allowing me to share my story. My mother had suffered for years with difficulties breathing. She was told she had asthma, and then sarcodosis. My folks moved from the Midwest to the southwest to retire as well as to help my mother breat

  • Barbara M, NJ

    I had never heard of IPF until I was diagnosed in 2003. The first thing I did was look it up online. What a scary and depressing future the Internet told me I was facing—3 to 5 years to live.

  • Charlene F, CT

    My pulmonologist recommended I get a CT Scan after treatment for a persistent cough lasting a couple of weeks which was thought to have been Bronchitis did not go away. I was diagnosed in March 2016 with stage 1 lung cancer. A biopsy showed that 10 o

  • Donna D. B, PA

    I want to share my testimony to be an encourager to those who are walking with the news that they have lung cancer. The first words that need to come out of my mouth is: cancer is the small c, because Christ is the Big C.

  • KATHY C, NY

    Just two months after finishing his fourth half marathon, my husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. He was 42.

  • Elizabeth T, HI

    Dad started when he was only 12 years old, long before people knew smoking caused cancer. By his 30s he was smoking 3-4 packs a day of Pall Mall. We were little then and we actually liked the smell of tobacco on his clothes, because when he was aroun

  • Julie C, NC

    My face is the face of stage 4 lung cancer. This picture depicts the deep love I have for my only child, gifted to me by God just six years ago. Can you imagine how deeply my life was changed when I found out in September of 2016 I had lung cancer?

  • Shannon W, MD

    My story is a little different. I am 46 years old and smoked for about 20 years having quit in 2009. I work at an imaging facility and we starting Lung Cancer Screenings a few years ago. One of our radiologists, who was aware of my smoking history, m

  • Julie V, CT

    I've been a nurse for over five years in various departments such as emergency medicine, cardiac floor and recover room. I've seen all the devastating effects smoking has on your body - from COPD to lung cancer.

  • Rachel S, NJ

    At the age of 4, I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. My parents and I were told that this disease generally presents itself in either of two forms: one that attacks primarily the joints or a systemic version that attacks the internal

  • Carley F, SC

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 35. I am a nurse with a then 4-year-old son. I came down with a cold that turned into bronchitis and then into what I thought had to be pneumonia. I would get short of breath with my everyday tasks and I had a

  • Mike O, KY

    I was diagnosed with IPF December 2014, waiting on a double lung transplant list.

  • Christine M, DE

    In a blink of an eye your entire life can change. I was a happy, healthy, active 49-year old woman who ran several half marathons, loved to be outside walking, running and just staying active. Life was good, I was turning 50 and I was ready to embrac

  • Terril M, FL

    I come from a family scarred by IPF. I'm a nurse practitioner, who noticed clubbing of the fingers, when my dad, a lifelong smoker, was struggling to breath. I assumed he had COPD, but his doctor told him it was IPF. He died in 1998.

  • Jodi P, ID

    Married to husband Dennis in 1987, 30 years ago, mother of two children, Kristi, 28 and Joey, 26, grandmother of two, registered nurse of 38 years, non-smoker.

  • Linda V, NC

    My father was diagnosed with lung cancer in early July 2017. Early 2017, my dad experienced pain in his sciatica and pelvic region. He immediately went to his doctor and then to one of the top neurologists in Orange County, CA. In no particular order

  • Nancy W, NH

    In late April my husband Ted and I packed up for a trip to explore Myrtle Beach properties; we were looking forward to our soon to be retirement. He showed me a red area on his left arm so we stopped into the local emergency room to have what appeare

  • Amy L, IN

    In August of 2013 my mom went in for a routine chest xray prior to a hip replacement. In that film they discovered a mass on the upper right lobe of her lung. Further testing confirmed stage 4 small cell lung cancer that had metastasized to her bones

  • Barbara A, MA

    My mother never smoked but was diagnosed with lung cancer at 76, and died of the disease at age 80. They didn't have CT scans in those days so by the time she was diagnosed, it was too late - although she did live longer than expected.

  • Dena A, NJ

    I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in October, 2014. I had no idea I had it until I went to the ER for a car accident and they did a chest x-ray. That's when they found the hilar and medistinal lymphadenopathy, which turned out to be sarcoidosis by bio

  • Kaye C, NY

    On March 9, 2017, I had a cough and some wheezing in my upper chest I passed it up, but that evening I got such an excruciating pain on my right upper side around the shoulder blade I thought I sprained.

  • Bruce D, NY

    I am a 51-year old never-smoker in otherwise great health who, after experiencing wheezing and shortness of breath while exercising, was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer with the ALK mutation.

  • Doug F, TX

    It all began in 2012 when my brother went into the Texas Heart Institute in Houston for the repair of a mitral valve prolapse. During the procedure, the surgeon discovered that he had a 6 cm aneurysm in his ascending aorta, so he repaired that also.

  • Sandra L, MA

    On August 1, 2008 I was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer that had already metastasized to the chest lymph nodes. Stage 3B at this time. I had a right upper lobectomy of the lung, IV chemotherapy, radiation then more IV chemotherapy.

  • Alicia S, MT

    Pulmonary Fibrosis has been in my family on my mothers side for many, many years. Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) has taken too many of my family members.

  • Cristina C, RI

    I am a 40-year-old lung cancer survivor! I had been experiencing an occasional but annoying cough for a few months which I kept putting off as "post nasal drip". I had my yearly physical scheduled for November 2017, at which time I mentioned this cou

  • Jim M, TX

    Hello my name is Jim Mcdonald, I'm 60 and along with my wife we live in Fort Worth, TX. I was diagnosed with UIP on biopsy which related to IPF at the pulmonologist office in 2014. My wife Diana has been by my side and is my biggest supporter since w

  • Renee M, IL

    Several years ago I remember my cousin texting me and telling me her mom had lung cancer. The next time I saw my aunt she was on constant oxygen.

  • Leah F, PA

    American Lung Association: I am a daughter, sister, girlfriend, friend, runner, and HERO.

  • Shantel V, NY

    I joined the American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE initiative in honor of my grandmother, Doris, who passed away from lung cancer at the age of 79. She was the light of my life and a living example of love.

  • Michelle S, NY

    I am currently a nonsmoker of five years...I quit because my father and grandfather both died quite young of lung cancer...both smokers.

  • Katie B, TN

    I wrote a book about my cancer journey it is a memoir of a most difficult time in my life. After the failure of my business and getting in a car accident, I found myself with a diagnosis of lung cancer that had spread in the form of brain tumors.

  • Debbie A, MI

    I was diagnosed first in December 2009. I was staged as 3b, my tumor was large, in my right lung in all three lobes. The tumor was near my esophagus and growing towards my heart. Because at the time the five-year survival rate was under 10%, I chose

  • Betsy S, PA

    I've known of the American Lung Association since I was a kid. My parents, particularly my mother, were big believers in philanthropy and the American Lung Association was one of the causes they supported.

  • Miriam J, NY

    March 2016, I was 61 years old and diagnosed with cancer; female; never-smoker. A large lesion was found in my lumbar spine during a spinal MRI for an unrelated injury. After a spinal biopsy and CT scan of the chest and abdomen I was diagnosed with n

  • Julie H, AK

    I was raised in a two-smoking parent household. Both my mom and dad smoked the entire time I was growing up. In 1991, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. I was living in Alaska, married, with two young daughters.

  • Jamie R, CO

    This is my story I shared on my Facebook page. I was diagnosed in February with lung cancer. I'm 32. I have a 1 and 2-year-old.

  • Le Ann F, NJ

    I am both shocked and yet, I shouldn't be. I have stage 4 lung cancer. I am the third non-smoker in my family to have the same diagnosis-my 42 year old sister, who passed away in 1999 and my 83 year old father (83 going on 70 and extremely healthy) p

  • Hailey R, IL

    On November 1, 2017 my mom was diagnosed with stage 3A lung cancer. The very first thought that went through my mind was, "Oh my gosh, what if she can't make it to my wedding." Now I know that is extremely selfish, but as a little girl you always dre

  • Brandi S, PA

    My grandpa suffered from COPD in his later years of life. It was difficult watching as a child and going to the many hospital visits. It brought my mom and I closer though and we remember him fondly through funny memories and participating in events

  • Monica S, TX

    My grandmother was a nonsmoker who was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer in May 2017. It was disheartening to hear when she was trying to get a check up on her pneumonia, which had persisted for several weeks.

  • Kennydene T, HI

    How I was diagnosis with lung cancer was going into to the ER at Kapiolani Women and Children Hospital feeling sick, running tests and the results came back with one kidney stone.

  • Patricia Y, FL

    My name is Pat I am writing this story in behalf of my in-laws, who both suffered from smoke related illnesses, even though they started smoking before warnings were put on packs of cigarettes. They lost years off there lives having COPD, CHF, lung c

  • Teresa H, CO

    I became very ill in September of 2014. I got Pneumonia and after many tests I found out I had small cell lung cancer. Very scary information. I cried then I started taking steps to get better.

  • Susan J, GA

    In the spring of 2015 I got a call from my brother, Steve, that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Thus began a journey none of us wants to take.

  • Denise P, PA

    Afraid for my sister. My best friend, my first playmate. Today my sister was told she had lung cancer. I want to be strong and keep saying we will beat this and inside I am screaming. Our birthdays are a year and day apart. I want someone to say "it'

  • Marta U, CT

    My name is Marta and this August hopefully I will celebrate my 10-year cancer free anniversary. I am a stage 1 lung cancer survivor: my lung cancer was found by accident. During a routine physical my doctor advised me that I had elevated cholesterol

  • Marlena T, MA

    My mother suffered from COPD for the past 16 years. It slowly stole her independence. First, she got winded walking long distances, then she started having trouble at work, then she was no longer able to work at all.

  • Cindy W, CT

    I am 59 years old and a lung cancer survivor. First, a little history. I started smoking cigarettes as a teenager at the age of 14. I smoked steadily for the next 18 years and finally quit cold turkey in 1991.

  • Kendra P, NC

    Starting smoking young, I was never a heavy smoker due to budget. I then was fortunate to gain employment with a major cigarette company. The company was fabulous to the employees including providing us with free cigarettes and the ability to smoke i

  • Carolyn C, TX

    My son was recently diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. Apparently he has had it for about four years. He is 59 years old and appears to be the picture of health. His family and I were concerned about his cough and he saw a pulmonary doctor. Apparentl

  • Sherri R, NY

    My father started smoking at age 17. During that time, growing up in Jamaica, he was viewed as a man. This was also decades before the dangers of smoking was advertised to the public.

  • Betty D, PA

    My journey began on Feb. 7, 2018. Went to work. Not feeling good came home and slept for four hours. Which is not like me. My friend took me to urgent care where they could find no vitals on me.

  • Catherine W, OH

    If you are looking for a happy ending...do not read this story about my hero, my daughter, Tiffany.

  • Carla G, IN

    In January, 2014, I decided to have a scan, as my children's father was dying of lung cancer and I was an ex-smoker, for nine years at the time. The scan was only $49 here at IU Ball Memorial and was like any other ct scan, quick and painless. A smal

  • Russell W, AL

    At the age of 10 I was diagnosed with asthma. At 36 I had a stroke. The paramedics came and visited me in hospital after I had my stroke as they didn't believe I had survived. After rebuilding my life after the stroke, I was hit with yet another heal

  • Donna C, NC

    Beginning of August 2017, I was having trouble catching my breath. It was a Friday night at work. After work I went to Urgent Care. They took a chest x-ray. No pneumonia, but called me Monday after radiologist looked at x-ray.

  • Sandy B, TN

    I never thought I would be telling you this story about my life. It was in April of 2017 I went to the doctor for a return check up. I had been having a cough that would not go away. Doctor said it was allergies.

  • Kristy Q, IN

    I was diagnosed with a carcinoid tumor at the age of 12 in my left lung. No history of lung issues or cancer in my family. It started out with being diagnosed with pneumonia twice and my pediatrician knew it was something more.

  • Karen H, MO

    I am a former smoker. When I got my Medicare guide for 2018, I saw that they were paying for the scan. I went to my doctor who scheduled the scan for me. The very same day of the scan, my doctor was calling me telling me the Radiologist saw a small m

  • Dorothy H, TX

    I am writing about my husband, Gary Head. He smoked for over 50 years then I heard about the low-dose CT scan as a screening tool for smokers. I asked the nurse practitioner about having this done for my husband and she seemed more concerned about Me

  • Deanna K, FL

    My primary physician urged me to have the lung screening, so I had it done. I was sent to a lung doctor to speak with him since there was an area of concern. He then recommended a pet scan, however after having that done the area had gotten smaller.

  • Mike L, MI

    Today's date is 7/8/2018. I was diagnosed in June of 2015. I am a 65 year old male. I have been on oxygen for 1 year. My mother died from the disease at the age of 79 in 2002.

  • Candi T, NE

    I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. I was diagnosed eight years ago with stage four lung cancer and given one year to live by two different doctors.

  • Matthew H,

    My wife, Marilyn, was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in September 2016.

  • Allison R, MI

    My sister, Marilyn, was a gym teacher. She was always interest in all sports. In high school she played field hockey, golf, baseball,tennis, feature Baton Twirler, and dive team.

  • Clarissa M, VA

    My name is Clarissa McAdoo Cannion. I retired from an executive position in August 2016 after 30 years of service. Two months later my home flooded as a result of Hurricane Matthew. We were initially speechless but we bit the bullet and committed to

  • Parker S, FL

    My wife Pat passed away last month 18 months after a SCLC diagnosis. It was actually a low sodium level that resulted in her being admitted to the ER. Treating this condition ultimately led to a diagnosis.

  • Debbie P,

    My Name is Debbie. On March 4, 2013, I went into my doctors' office thinking I would be getting my work release after being off for a week due to pneumonia.

  • Becky R, IN

    I smoked for more than 30 years. I quit eight years ago. I read an article on my tablet about the CT scan. I asked my doctor about it and I had it done in January.

  • Linda S, RI

    My cousin was diagnosed with lung cancer when she was 63 years old.

  • Paul S, RI

    I am a 68-year-old adult man who lives with asthma and chronic bronchitis. When I was a child, my parents were heavy smokers and I lived in this environment until I got married at the age of 22.

  • Jessica D, PA

    At the age of 37 I was blindsided with my lung cancer diagnosis. I had been battling what my doctors swore was bronchitis for almost two months, a debilitating cough which could not be eased with anything. After several visits to my family doctor a c

  • Cathy P, CA

    In April or May 2017 I was at the Morning Drive office of Kern Radiology. I saw a Saved By The Scan sign in the waiting room. A couple of days later I received a letter from Kern Radiology telling me I was eligible for a low-dose CT scan at no cost t

  • Shannon S, SC

    After several years of supporting the Komen 5K Run/Walk for Breast Cancer Research, it dawned on me that I was supporting the wrong cause.

  • Pamela U, LA

    My mother, Kay, hadn't been feeling well for a couple of weeks. She had a cough that just wouldn't go away, a shortness of breath that was getting bothersome. After a busy football Saturday in mid-September of 2008, I took my mother to an Urgent Care

  • Lionel M, MS

    I'm now 62 years old and thanks to my doctor I will be able to see 63 and more.

  • Virginia G, MT

    After smoking for 55 years, I promised my twin granddaughters I'd quit smoking last year. I quit on my anniversary to honor my late husband.

  • Sandra H, MS

    I have lost my grandfather, one uncle, one aunt, and have one aunt that survived lung cancer and now have another aunt starting radiation and chemotherapy for it. We have got to find a cure.

  • Kathy L, WI

    I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 32 years. My husband was a smoker,too, so I figured why quit when I would just be breathing in his second hand smoke. He died in 2007. It wasn't cancer related.

  • Katie C,

    In September of 2015, my mom, the kindest, silliest, most ridiculous person I had ever known, was diagnosed with lung cancer.

  • Marjorie L, GA

    My husband insisted I get a chest x-ray (which the doctor didn't think I needed) because even though I was getting over the flu, he said my cough sounded different. That led to a CT scan, which led to a biopsy, and a diagnosis of lung cancer at age 5

  • Patricia H, RI

    I loved my Marlboro's and enjoyed smoking (yucky), but I knew that it was unhealthy. I was addicted and had smoked for over 40 years. I always thought about the dire consequences of smoking cigarettes and the thought of having lung cancer scared me,

  • Kelly E, MO

    On Easter of 2014 my life was forever changed with the announcement that my mom, my best friend and my greatest supporter, had Stage 4 Non-Small Cell Carcinoma of the lung. She had gone to the hospital because she was tired, and her lungs felt heavy.

  • Susan S, VA

    I am a life-long asthma sufferer and have been diagnosed with my share of respiratory infections. I was diagnosed with yet another respiratory infection in October of 2006.

  • Cassie M, TX

    My name is Cassie Menn. When I was 35, my mother passed away from lung cancer. My mom, Susan, was my best friend. She worked at MD Anderson and was a marathon runner.

  • Sandy B, TN

    I have always lived what we considered a clean lifestyle.&nbsp;Working out, watching our weight, eating good food and working hard.&nbsp;We had very few vices that you would associate with contracting lung cancer.

  • Senita H, MD

    As a young girl, I remember sitting on the sofa sandwiched between my eldest uncle and my younger uncle. What was most striking about that memory, was that I did not understand "asthma" or why each of them was restricted from participating in outdoor

  • Dave M,

    Former military and awarded-winning weight lifter Dave Miller was a Pennsylvania Train Master when he started to experience some fatigue and weight loss. He thought it was from stress at work.

  • Rick B, ME

    Thank you for saving my life. Your television advertising inspired me to get the scan. I had just recently retired and moved to our retirement home in Maine. Part of the move meant getting a new doctor.

  • Erin O, OK

    It wore down her body. It exhausted her strength. And I know it took her life. But cancer couldn't dim her smile. And what a smile it was! Everything good, everything wholesome, everything pure about life was found in her smile.

  • Cheryl C, IA

    WOW! It's true, all you need is lungs to get lung cancer! I have always been a active and healthy living person - or so I thought.

  • Denny H, KY

    On September 12, 2015, I lost my best friend, my soul mate and my husband of 25 years, Jack Hovious. Jack was diagnosed with stage 4, small cell lung cancer in December of 2014. He lost his life nine months later.

  • Kimberly L, CT

    My ENT saved my life. My Hero. I woke up one morning with pain unlike any I have ever felt before. A trip to my primary doctor who shrugged it off as just a muscle strain. Two days later a trip to the orthopedic pain so bad I couldn't even get on tab

  • Cathy H, TN

    I smoked for 40 years, I was treated for asthma for many years. I had gotten pneumonia and was hospitalized. A doctor I received there was a pulmonary doctor and as soon as he saw me and examined me he stated, "There is no asthma, you have copd/empha

  • Gregg B, IN

    I was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. I had surgery to remove the tumor. The cancer returned in 2012 in both lungs. I was diagnosed with the ALK mutation. I have been taking the inhibitor Crizotinib since then. I have not let this disease d

  • Cindy G, AL

    In October, 2006, I was leaving the office at 7 o'clock at night and I got a phone call from my brother. I was quite surprised because my brother was estranged from his family for a few years. When I answered, he asked me for my parent's phone number

  • Michael P, CA

    I'm Michael Pulli, a happy 69-year-old man that had severe Fibrosis. I have RA and five years ago I had a severe case of shortness of breath but didnt know what was going on. My regular doctor sent me to the emergency room and tests were started. The

  • Khris A, AL

    In the Fall of 2015, I was helping my teenage daughter, Jayne, recover from shoulder surgery when I discovered a tick bite that quickly developed into a nasty rash. I went to the doctor to get antibiotics, never imagining that visit would change my l

  • Christine M,

    As a teacher of French, English and Interdisciplinary Studies for 40 years, I had always been very energetic and youthful in my teaching of high school students, taking them on field trips overseas and closer to home. We camped, we trekked, we saw th

  • Natalie G, NV

    This is what total heartbreak looks like...August 7, 2016 our lives came crashing down when the doctors found a mass in my mom's lungs. We waited the longest week of our lives to receive the results that she had Stage 4 lung cancer. Doctors gave he

  • Roberta T, FL

    In July 2016, I went to my primary physician for a check up. He knows I've been a smoker for 30+ years. He told me about the CT scan and asked if I would be willing to go. I said, "Sure, would rather go and if anything is there at least hopefully we

  • Linda W, IA

    In 2013 my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, he was given six months. Six months and 12 days later he passed away on March 20, 2014.

  • Samantha M, GA

    I was diagnosed in 2012 with stage 4 NSCLC. It wasn't a month after my 33rd birthday and I was a single mom doing well when my world was turned upside down. The lung cancer had spread to my brain prompting an emergency craniotomy. I never thought I c

  • Beverly D, AZ

    I am a 3-year Lung Cancer Survivor. Never smoked. My Lung Cancer was found "accidentally" during tests for a TIA Stroke. I am one of the lucky ones, my Cancer was found so early, almost unheard of.

  • Douglas A, CO

    17 years ago I was undergoing diagnosis and in late November (the day after Thanksgiving) 2001 I was diagnosed with SMALL CELL lung cancer at the trachea in the right lung. A week or so later it was found in the brain in three spots so it became 4th

  • Sarah P, FL

    A spot showed up on a CT scan on a fatty cist on my shoulder. My docotor ordered a CT of my left lung. It showed crushed glass. We waited three months and I had another CT scan. It remained the same. We waited another three months and there was a cha

  • Lisa K, NM

    The phone rang. I looked over to see who was calling, it was Dad. Kind of late for him to be calling. Kind of strange for me not to answer. I stared at my phone that night late in the dark but I didn't answer and I didn't call him back. I never avoid

  • Su W, VA

    I never thought I would be a lung cancer patient having never smoked and done all the "right" things to be healthy and live a long life. So you can imagine the shock of hearing "you have stage IV lung cancer" three years ago.

  • Nancy D, VA

    It always happens to someone else...until it happens to you. Besides, my doctor had said I could wait TWO years now between physicals..."picture of health"! Never a smoker...a "young" and active 64 year old... Then, on the morning of Tuesday, Februar

  • Renee D, KS

    I was experiencing symptoms that neither my doctors nor I would associate with lung cancer.

  • Michele B, OH

    I was diagnosed with NSCLC, Squamos, Stage 1B in October of 2017. You cant attach the word fortunate to the biggest cancer killer, but I am one of only 15% to be diagnosed that early in the disease. This is because of a simple scan that takes only 5

  • ShayDarian S, AR

    When I was 11 years old I was in the hospital with a spinal infection. Around the same time my mom found out she had breast cancer. She successfully fought and beat the battle, and stayed in remission for five years, thanks to the great research done

  • Elaine N, SC

    Six years later, I am still finding it hard to put into words the affect that lung cancer has had on my family. As I write this, tears are streaming down face, because I wish for no person to ever have to go through what my family and I endured. My f

  • Lynne F, IL

    On a med check my MD asked how my breathing was. It wasn't great - he suggested I see a pulmonologist who ordered a CT scan. There was a small nodal in my upper left lobe. Biopsy confirmed it was cancer. After removing my upper left lobe and lymph no

  • Samantha D, WI

    Cancer is not a diagnosis given to an individual, it is a diagnosis given to an entire family. April 2016 my life came to a complete halt when my mom was diagnosed with stage 3 non small cell lung cancer. Within 24 hours doctors confirmed it was in f

  • Nicholina C, NJ

    I was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in July, 2015 following a Cat Scan of the chest. A Bronchoscopy had been completed due to a chest x-ray which indicated a tumor, but was non-diagnostic. I then changed facilities, and was diagnosed in August, 2015 aft

  • Richard D, NV

    My name is Richard Davis and I am a community health worker with Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Las Vegas.

  • Lisa B, NE

    My name is Lisa – I am a daughter, a wife, a mother – and my life has been profoundly touched by lung cancer. On December 27, 2010, I was in the car with my boys and my husband, who just came home from Afghanistan for the holidays; we were heading to

  • Denise L, CA

    For 3-6 months, I would pass a billboard on the highway as I drove home from work. It was for early detection, lung cancer., American Lung Association "Saved by the Scan" billboard.

  • Holly S, MI

    My mom died in 2003 at the age of 57 beause of lung cancer. She was a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a wife, a mom, an aunt, a grandma, but most of all she was a FRIEND!

  • Cheryl C, AL

    Cheryl Cook is an active person who travels internationally, watches her grandchildren, tends to her vegetable garden and rarely gets sick, so her lung cancer diagnosis in March 2018 came as a complete shock.

  • Tina G, PA

    I was diagnosed March 2017 with stage 3 non-small cell carcinoma lung cancer that had spread to my mediastinum lymph nodes. I had gone through chemotherapy and also radiation everyday for a month and then had my left upper lobe of my lung removed. On

  • Eileen H, AL

    Just over one year ago, at the age of 82 years, my worst nightmare came true; I was diagnosed with the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) called adenocarcinoma.

  • Judith J, NJ

    Driving to Florida for a winter vacation in March of 2015, my Primary Doctor calls me to tell me that, after looking at my MRI, I have lung cancer and the story began.

  • Kristina K, TN

    I am a 37-year-old female. I had surgery on June 8, 2018 on a lung nodule that was randomly found on a CTA of the heart that my cardiologist ordered because of my bradycardia. All of my doctors were convinced it would be benign. I don't even think my

  • Cheryl M, AL

    I quit smoking 5 years ago after 44 years! My UAB primary care doctor suggested I get the scan. I had a 0.9 cm nodule removed November 9th. It was so small we considered waiting three months for a recheck.

  • Frances F, AZ

    I was dignosed with COPD over 6 years ago! A long with the patch I quit smoking! I did the walk last year and was impressed! I love walking and meeting people with this disease and the dreaded C word! I would love to find a better breathing club.

  • Melinda M, TN

    I am 55 years old and quit smoking over 11 years ago, but was worried about lung cancer. As soon as I heard about the low dose screening CT scan I requested a referral from my doctor. The scan was performed in July, 2018 and was so easy! Just lay sti

  • Jo Ann J, VA

    I quit smoking after many decades on October 2, 2017, cold turkey. Woke up that morning, made a cup of coffee and lit one of three cigarettes in the pack. Started coughing about half way through and couldn't seem to stop, so I put it out. Lit it back

  • Gregory L, AZ

    Unfortunately, I know so much about this silent killer because I lost my wife of 35 years on April 9 of this year. My wife, Nancy, was diagnosed stage 4 lung cancer in 2012.

  • Beth S, PA

    My husband John Matthews wants to end the suffering and stigma of lung cancer for all patients. His inspiration is his mother Kathleen, who lost her battle with the disease. John is committed to raising awareness and one million dollars in his lifeti

  • Glenna M, OR

    My name is Glenna Marshall and my story begins with a diagnosis of breast cancer in 1999. I had surgery, chemo, radiation and for five years following treatment, I took a drug to help prevent recurrence. Unbelievably, two months after my diagnosis fo

  • Michelle N, IA

    I struggled with weight gain from the time I was 21. By the time I hit 50ish, I could not seem to keep any weight off through many programs. I applied for and was approved for a bariatric surgery at our local hospital until I failed a pre-operation t

  • Mary B, FL

    I saw the commercial of the woman who had quit smoking, climbing the hill of cigarette butts, and got a screen. It was easy and quick.

  • Joyce P, RI

    I had always considered myself to be a healthy person. Yet in April 2017 I went for my yearly physical. I had noticed my breathing was off, yet I attributed it to the fact that we had a new dog. I fully expected to get a referral to an allergist sinc

  • Mary M, NY

    My PCP recommended the low dose CT scan two years ago for me due to my history of smoking. My mother passed six years ago from small cell lung cancer due to smoking and I just had a second cousin who died with the same, from smoking. Normally by the

  • Andree S, MD

    In January 2017, I went to the ER in Kaiser Permanente. I received treatment for asthma and chest X-ray. Left the facility with prescribed medicine and been told that I have something on the right side of the lung.

  • Donna V, OH

    Went to a pulmonologist for new COPD medicine. She sent me for the scan because I was a long time smoker who had quit seven years before. It came back with a spot on the left low part of the upper lobe. I was then sent for a pet scan which lights up

  • Deterice C, LA

    I lost my mother to lung cancer June 26, 2018, the hardest thing in life. It hurt to see her suffer but it hurt even more to see her pass away.

  • Linda T, NJ

    Hi, my name is Linda and two months ago I had chest pain so I went the hospital to check it out. They gave a CT scan that found the mass on my right lung. It was two inches.

  • Susan W, IL

    Hi, I'm Susan, and six years ago I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer that had spread to my lymph nodes and adrenal gland, and had gone undetected for 5-7 years. I never smoked, and I felt fine (except for an allergy-like cough). So, hearing that

  • Amelia B, FL

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010. Adenocarcinona Stage II. After a pneumonectony of the right lung and three rounds of chemotherapy - non consecutive - I was a mess. It has taken eight years of self discovery and self help to get functioning.

  • Carmela S,

    I remember it like it was yesterday. A friend from work and I went to the annual Greek Festival, which is held in May. Little did I know that May of 2013 was going to begin my upcoming battle and lung cancer journey.

  • Melissa J,

    About 7 years ago, I came down with a very bad case of the flu which affected my breathing and oxygen levels and had me in bed for around 6 weeks. I developed pneumonia from it, and my doctor thought I had some minimal damage to my lungs along with a

  • Nancy B, WI

    It was a typically cold February 6, 2014 in Wisconsin. I had a headache that turned into a migraine. Nausea, dizziness and severe light sensitivity. My husband took me to ThedaClark Regional Medical Center in Neenah, WI.

  • Avis P,

    My name is Avis Corley Porter of Thaxton, MS in Pontotoc County. I am honored to be requested to write an article on "My Journey with Lung Cancer."

  • Cynthia M, PA

    My name is Cindi McDowell from Pittsburgh, and I am celebrating my 62nd birthday! I was 11 years old when I started smoking. It was easy – my dad was a smoker, and he always had cartons of cigarettes with multiple open packs lying around the house. H

  • Alina C, HI

    I was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer in mid 2016; I never smoked cigarettes or marijuana and never used any type of recreational drugs. I've heard of other people having cancer but I never thought that I would be a victim.

  • Darcy E, SD

    Although I do not have lung cancer, its effects are very personal to me. I am a respiratory therapist and work in pulmonary rehabilitation and as a tobacco-free advocate. Every day I work with patients who have a history of lung cancer. They become l

  • Patricia E, MA

    About 18 months ago, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. The irony is that I have spent the last 30 years working to prevent lung cancer caused by elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that is found in every home and is the leading cause of lung

  • Margo D, VT

    You have cancer. Words that no one wants to hear. Unfortunately, you become a member of a club, one that you do not necessarily want to belong to.

  • Ann S, WV

    In 2001 I started riding the American Lung Association's Greenbrier River Trail Bike Trek (GTBT) – a beautiful, picturesque, 100-mile bike ride through one of the most majestic parts of West Virginia. I was 25. Life was grand and carefree. For many y

  • Nancy G, CA

    I am really happy to share my story – and really happy just to be here in this world. I'm not just happy – I'm lucky. So lucky to have been able to survive this devastating disease. When I was given my diagnosis of small cell lung cancer in August of

  • Marsha H, MT

    I was 7 days from the end of my 24th year of teaching school in May, 2018. During those years, I taught kindergarten, P.E. and first grade. I am a former All American gymnast and track athlete and have made fitness a priority in my life. In addition

  • Scarlett P, LA

    When I think about how lung disease has impacted my life, the sad reality of my answer is that it has impacted me greatly both personally and professionally, and has been a part of my life for longer than I care to remember. As a college student dati

  • Susan M, DE

    First, I am so thankful to have the opportunity to share my story. I truly believe that God has directed me to share it and try to help just one person.

  • Cindy T, MD

    Six years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. After my diagnosis I began a treatment regimen that included aggressive chemotherapy and radiation.

  • Karin A, NY

    I am here today because of early intervention. I was a smoker and my primary care doctor, Mary Jenkins, always ordered a chest x-ray as part of my annual physical. This time, June 2009, my chest x-ray results showed a spot on my right lung.

  • Lorie B, WA

    July 2014, I was on my way to visit my son and his wife, when I got the call. It was my brother-in-law, "We have us some cancer?" "What? We? Who? What do you mean?" My mind was a jumble of questions, while in my heart I already knew what he was going

  • Ioneni L, PA

    Wilma Harris was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer in November 2018. It's been hard to see her struggle threw chemo and radiation for 6 weeks.

  • Katisha M, SC

    My mom was told by her doctors early morning on 04/11/2018 that today that very day...would be her last day to live... She had just been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. She had just received her first round of chemo DAYS before. She was

  • Christine M, PA

    My name is Christine McLarty, I'm a morning News Reporter for ABC27 News in Harrisburg, PA. I'm thrilled to emcee the Sapphire Gala benefiting the American Lung Association in Pennsylvania. This cause is near and dear to my heart.

  • Jeff M, IN

    I was diagnosed nsclc 3a in Sept. '17. Six weeks of aggressive chemo and radiation followed. I continued to work and run throughout treatments.

  • June B, NY

    On Oct. 11th, 2018 I went for my annual well physical. Sitting with my doctor as she asked all the usual questions, I asked her why so many people that I knew are getting sick. With that, I tell her about a friend that was diagnosed three weeks earli

  • Melissa U, MI

    My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer on December 27. Adenocarcinoma, and mets to the bones. As soon as he returned home from hospital, he was so weak and tired. He did 10 radiation treatments, stopped eating pretty much-and he just passed aw

  • Jamie B, WA

    The reason I joined the lung force walk: When I was 17 years old my dad finally quit smoking for the last time. January 1st he started a new life. He had a persistent cough and everyone just said, it's probably just your lungs clearing themselves out

  • Lynda B, GA

    I was diagnosed with stage lllB adenocarcinoma lung cancer on October 3, 2011. My local pulmonologist told me radiation could not be done, only chemo, and that I had 2 to 5 years. I went to Mayo in Rochester, MN for a second opinion. Their team effor

  • Kelly H,

    I am a LUNG FORCE Hero for my Pap Pap. BY, Boss Hogg, Poppy, Dad, Bob, Uncle Bob, he had many names and nicknames, and he had one for most people he met.

  • Maurice G, MS

    My journey began over 50 years ago, on the day I decided to take my first "drag" on a cigarette. I was 17 years old and for the past 50 years I had been a smoker.

  • Jeanne D, CA

    I wanted to make a comment to Jackie D. and all other patients who have been diagnosed with lambert-eaton, an autoimmune disorder. This condition is life-altering. It affects your daily quality of living. I have suffered eye lid drooping, difficulty

  • Brittany H, NC

    I lost my mother to lung cancer almost three years ago. I hope to spread awareness and improve research for lung diseases.

  • Sonia T, WA

    In August of 2018 I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I really had not thought much about lung cancer before this.

  • Amy R, ME

    I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at age 41. My story began with a cough that lasted 6 weeks. I am a Registered Nurse and mother of two young children, ages 7 and 3. I didn't have time to get sick, and I was too stubborn to go to the doctor.

  • Alicia M, CA

    I was about to sit down to dinner when the telephone rang. The caller was my doctor delivering a dread message: "I'm sorry to have to tell you," he said quietly. Your tests show that you have non-small cell lung cancer."

  • Bill S, NJ

    Hi everyone, I am Bill and I am an (almost 7 year) lung cancer survivor. I am a never smoker, who never thought would be dealing with Lung Cancer. June 13th, 2012 brought this fact home: anyone with lungs can get Lung Cancer.

  • Carla P, OK

    I was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in March 2018. My internist suggested I have a screening CT scan of my lungs due to my history of smoking. The scan revealed a tennis ball size mass in my left upper lung and a nickel size mass in my lower rig

  • Danielle J, OK

    On May 1, 2013 I was 25 years old and working as an RN in Tulsa, Oklahoma when my life changed forever. I was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer and given 6 months to live. That was 5 years ago.

  • Kenzie M, WY

    My dad, Kenneth Monroe, was Northern Arapaho and born on January 10, 1957. He was raised by his grandparents and was a musician and enjoyed traveling. His creative, outgoing spirit kept him busy – he always wanted to do something.

  • Mindi N, TX

    My journey began when I was born 2 weeks late at only 4.5lbs due to the fact that my mother continued smoking almost a pack of cigarettes the entire time she was pregnant with me. My parents both smoked in the house & in the car until I was about 8 y

  • Tammey H, NY

    I was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in Dec. 2017. The treatment was brutal, as most people know but the cancer also caused several other illnesses. The side effects of lung cancer and all of the chemotherapy and radiation, were severe. I had a

  • Brandy Z, ND

    Lung cancer is destructive; it destroys lives, families, and futures. I can speak to this personally because my life has been affected by the devasting consequences of lung cancer. Not only lung cancer, but cancer in general. My story is unique becau

  • Pam M, AR

    You notice your husband is losing weight and he has a cough and is sometimes hoarse and can hardly talk. Yes, he is a smoker. He refuses, like most men, to go to the doctor. After three weeks of trying to convince him to go to the doctor, he finally

  • Paul P, NJ

    I am walking for my father. He had pulmonary fibrosis which is what he eventually died of. It was hard to watch him have difficulty breathing and constant anxiety. If I can prevent another person from going through this, I would.

  • Debra W, IL

    I thought of myself as living a healthy lifestyle. I regularly exercised and ate healthy. I'm here because of early detection.

  • Austin H, AL

    My Grandpa's original diagnosis for lung cancer was back in 2012. After fighting on and off, we received his final diagnosis of cancer around Memorial Day in 2017. He passed away in October of 2017.

  • Denise G, AR

    My story is one I love to share. Four years ago while doctor was checking for heart palpitation reasons a spot was noted in a CT Scan. After rechecking two more scans over several months he dismissed it as scar tissue.

  • Eileen L, OH

    I lost my dad from stage 4 melismatic lung cancer in 2012. I remember that day as a bell when my dad from died on 9/14/12 at 10:55 that morning. My sister called from hospice telling that dad is dead and she wanted me and my brother to come.

  • Samantha S, FL

    On February 14, 2019 my dad finally agreed to go to the ER to get checked out for a cough that progressed over one month and stomach cramps. While in the ER they wanted to check his d-dimer to make sure he was not having a PE. The bloodwork shown the

  • Lisa D, RI

    In 2016 two nodules were found on my left and right lung. October 2016 I had surgery on my right lung which ended up being cancer. Doctors took out the cancer it did not spread to my lymph nodes. In December of 2016 I had surgery on my left lung the

  • Barbara P, GA

    My family had a most brilliant, compassionate, successful, Christian husband, father, & relative, named Jack Byrd. Jack lost his life entirely too soon to tobacco & chemical products such as these. He was a firm parent; but, very fair. He absolutely

  • Maria S, NY

    May 2013 I was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. I am being treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. The tumor on my spine was excruciating and prohibited me from standing erect. Therefore, we had to addr

  • Ugarala G, TX

    I walk on behalf of my brother Curtis Garland Jr. My brother was wrongfully convicted and housed in a Texas prison called Beto Unit. Months before he was due to come home he began to experience traumatic asthma attacks in which he was rushed to a hos

  • Pamela B, MA

    I was diagnosed in 2015 with breast cancer. I had surgery to remove tumor and also needed radiation after. I had smoked for over 40 years quit about 10 years before my cancer.

  • Jimmy S, CA

    Imagine what it would feel like to take a breath when your lungs were already full of air. Try this. Take in a deep breath. Hold it in for three seconds and don't exhale. Now try taking another breath, and another one.

  • Nakita G, WI

    Clean air to me is a right that was taken away from me as a child. My family all smoked around me and it made me sick.

  • Patricia C, MA

    Very recently, I went to the ER when my legs, feet, and belly swelled up like balloons. Because of this I was hospitalized about ten days ago.

  • Sandra P, MI

    I am a 71-year-old senior living on social security in government assisted rental apartment in Oscoda, Michigan.

  • Debby E, WI

    On August 8, 2015, we lost the pillar of our family, my mom. She passed away after a tough 14-month battle with Stage 4 Nonsmokers Lung Cancer.

  • Sarah A, AZ

    As a Respiratory Therapist I spent many years promoting lung health, participating in the lung force walks, climb for air events, and raising money for the American Lung Association. I knew the statistics and what the reality was for so many patients

  • vanessa W, MD

    I have not been screened but I was diagnosed with COPD a smoker since age 12 quitting twice over a 40+ history of smoking. In 2010 was when I was diagnosed and it has been down hill since.

  • Beth M, IL

    On this Mother's Day, and everyday, I honor my Mom who was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in 2014 at age 64. She was a non-smoker. Mom fiercely and courageously battled the disease and gave it her all amid the many health issues that arose along

  • Joyce A, NY

    Today I would like to say Happy Mother's Day to my mother. She died 17 years ago to lung cancer and there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about her, I wish she was still here to talk to, she was my everything. I'll always love my mom, she

  • Sarah F, VT

    I lost my mother a week ago, which was exactly one week before Mother's Day. Yesterday I woke up on Mother's Day and all I could think of was, "How many hours until bedtime?" I went through the motions of the day with my own children, and figured it

  • Kathy L, PA

    I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Lung Cancer (non-small cell) in December 2018, and had to wait until March for another scan, when that scan was performed prior to my surgery, they found another mass in my left upper lobe and an area of concern in my rig

  • Marie V, CT

    In January 2016 while in CICU, I was delivered the news "You have Stage 4 Lung Cancer" and because of the EGFR mutation, your cancer is treatable but not curable.

  • Denise Z, PA

    If this was five years ago I'd be dead. If my doctor didn't suggest a lung scan I could be dead. If my oncologist, radiation therapist, nurses, and others on my medical support team weren't so fiercely committed to saving lives I might be dead. If I

  • Alexis M, MA

    My name is Lexi, my story starts before I was born. It was in a little bar on Cape Cod around the 4th of July in 1990 when my father saw my mother for the first time. My Dad knew from the second he saw her that he would marry her.

  • Janine C, PA

    On August 17th, 2018 I lost one of my favorite people in the entire world to lung cancer...my mommom Shirley Miller. She had been complaining of shoulder pain and coughing whenever she laid down but other then that, she seemed perfectly healthy and v

  • Norma G, NV

    In October of 2016, I consulted a doctor for a persistent cough I had for a couple of months. A chest x-ray revealed what they thought may be pneumonia or a possible mass. They suggested a CT scan of the lungs. I battled my insurance company for the

  • Brenda A, KY

    My doctor ordered the scan during a routine physical. He did not suspect cancer but because of my years of smoking wanted to be on the safe side. I was not afraid or intimidated by his request for me to be scanned. Lo and behold, a spot showed up and

  • Landon R, PA

    My mom was only 60 years old when she passed away. It was January 18th, 2018 when I took her to the hospital for throwing up and not feeling well for a few weeks.

  • Emily D, CO

    In February 2018 I was diagnosed at age 32 with Stage IV lung cancer due to a genomic mutation, while 33 weeks pregnant with our second child. I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks, one day at the top of the world and then disbelief.

  • William N, FL

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer a year and a half ago. We have a beautiful 11-year-old adopted daughter. I'm 73.

  • Amanda S, ND

    My father was first diagnosed with COPD January 2003, there were small spots on his lungs. As this terrible disease progressed, it slowly took away from him so many things.

  • Peter C, NV

    I was diagnosed and treated for stage 2 lung cancer last year and went through chemo therapy shortly after my surgery. Without the support of my two sons and family recovery would have been a lot more difficult. I was shocked at first with the diagno

  • Kathleen M, CT

    Very lucky & grateful. After a persistent cough, a referral introduced me to an incredible team that diagnosed an ademoma carcinoma lung cancer (stage 1A).

  • Halle H, CA

    The week my grandmother started having symptoms of her lung cancer she was an active/busy person. Even mowed her yard that week. My grandad was pretty much catatonic during that time with COPD so she was doing all the housework.

  • Ann B, PA

    I had viral pneumonia when I was 8 years old, in 1955. I had it for probably 4 months. I got it from my mother who had been hospitalized with it before I was became ill.

  • Darren S, NY

    I lost my grandfather, Sy Beckerman, to lung cancer over twenty years ago. Unfortunately my grandfather started smoking when he was a teenager and lost his life when he was only 62 years old.

  • Lori R, IA

    My mother received her lung cancer diagnosis on Easter 2015 and passed away just 5 months later on Labor Day 2015. My mom was 86 years old, not on any medications, very healthy, and walked everywhere she went in her small Iowa town.

  • Rebecca G,

    The local hospital's radiologist called me one day in October of 2007, asking if I would come in for a fluoroscopy scan. He had done a routine chest x-ray six months prior and wanted a better look at something he had seen on that film. I'm not sure w

  • Laura D, RI

    My doctor asked if I wanted to do the low-dose screening and I said yes. The scan wasn't intimidating at all, in fact I never thought there would be anything wrong at all. Because they caught the cancer in its early stages, and when it was so small t

  • Patricia M, MI

    I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer July 3, 2018. Determined to fight I started chemotherapy. CAT/PET scans and a brain MRI showed no cancer anywhere else. My left lung was collapsed and I had a large mass in my chest.

  • Ashlee H, OH

    My name is Ashlee Harmon, I am a 17-year-old from Troy, Ohio and my life has been affected by lung diseases.

  • Donna C, MD

    I have had 2 robotic lung caner surgeries. I never had an oncologist. Both were stage 1A.

  • Megan M, AZ

    On December 3, 2018, my life forever changed. My mom, a nurse, that has spent her whole life helping others, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-small cell carcinoma (cancer). This was a major blow to my family especially because my mom showed no signs of

  • Monique R, AZ

    Due to SECONDHAND SMOKE & POOR AIR QUALITY, Asthma, Pneumonia's, Valley Fever have been apart of my life since eight years old.

  • Abbey H, MO

    When I was 16 years old, my grandfather got extremely sick. He had been a smoker since he was 8 years old. He never had a lung cancer screening CT with his primary care physician. At 59, the cancer had metastasized to his bones and he was diagnosed w

  • Alyssa B, FL

    My family is insanely close. We are lucky enough to genuinely enjoy each other's company. We look forward to holidays and get togethers because they're always filled with loud, and usually inappropriate, laughter.

  • Diane B, MI

    I was in the National Lung Screening Trial at the University of Michigan. This is the study that has prompted all the billboards and other reminders for former smokers to "get the scan." As a former smoker, when they called for volunteers in 2003, I

  • carol F, FL

    My 49-year-old husband smoke since he was 14. Tried to quit multiple times but got pulled back in. Two weeks ago, we found a 2 1/2 inch mass in his right lung.

  • Jill O, IN

    I was in a car wreck 3 years ago with my husband and 90-year-old mother in the car. My husband was driving when I heard my mother gasp. All air bags were around us as we headed to the embankment. My husband and mother was o.k. but I told EMS I could

  • Lakita H, MI

    My story is about the strongest and sweetest person I ever known, my mom.

  • Mary W, NC

    My primary care physician told me at my annual visit that as a former smoker I was covered under Medicare for a CT scan. I made an appointment but it was cancelled and other medical priorities prevented me from rescheduling it. I was scheduled for a

  • Andrea H, NJ

    A few decades back, my grandmother, Adele, discovered that she had lung cancer.

  • Staci D, KY

    My mother passed away of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis a few days ago. She had it for a few years, but was misdiagnosed. If only I had gotten involved in her care sooner, maybe I could have helped.

  • Alex L, VA

    My Mom was diagnosed with stage IV ALK+ lung cancer in July 2014. Her first symptoms seemed like she had an upper respiratory infection - a runny nose and bad cough. Having been a never smoker with no other risk factors, her doctors ran every test fo

  • Joanne W, NJ

    I was diagnosed with Stage 3A Non Small Cell Lung Cancer back in 2000. I got the news on Good Friday. To find out what stage it was I had to have a Pet Scan. It was new and I was the 9th patient at Robert Wood Johnson Radiology to have it done. I was

  • Amber P, DE

    When I was about 7 years old, I remember my mom coming into the kitchen in tears, her mother and my Nana was just diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.

  • Dianna W, MI

    In August 2018, I was driving down Rt 2 East, by Davis-Besse Power Plant in Oak Harbor, OH and saw a billboard that said "If you have ever smoked, you could be eligible for a life-saving lung scan."

  • Sandy S, GA

    Iʼm Sandy Spears, a life long resident of Georgia. In May 2019 I will celebrated my 40th wedding Anniversary. That is something I did not think I would see after a lung cancer diagnosis.

  • Sandy H, OH

    Last year beginning of June 2018 on a hot summer day around 3 p.m I started not to feel well, like flu symptoms. I took a hot shower and I felt very cold. I got dressed like it was winter time. I still couldn't get warm, cover myself with three blank

  • Nancy C, CT

    My lung cancer story began almost exactly eight months ago. As is the case for many of us, it was found not through routine screening. For a couple of days, I experienced sharp pain in my side and it hurt to take a deep breath. My message to anyone w

  • Tiffany M, OH

    Lung disease completely up ended and radically changed my life and the life of everyone in my family.

  • Geoffrey R, PA

    My story to share is about my Dad, Ned Roche's amazing and courageous battle against lung cancer.

  • Sue G, CA

    My husband has struggled over the years with several health issues beginning with COPD (after smoking for 35 years and then quitting in 2002).

  • Ashley G, SC

    My grandmother's name is Virginia and she was 75 years old and had been sick for awhile off and on. December 25th 2018, she fainted and we had her go to the hospital at this time she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and they told us she ha

  • Nikki M, LA

    My name is Nikki. I'm a caregiver to my mom, Bonnie who is battling Stage IV lung cancer and this is my story.

  • Jane B, AL

    My name is Jane Berry. I am 78 years old and I have Ideopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. I was first diagnosed years ago with COPD.

  • Thomas P, MI

    I was never the type of person to go to the doctor on a regular basis for a check-up. In 2009, I made the decision that I wanted, no had to, quit smoking, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do it on my own.

  • Cassie C, MS

    I was feeling bad one day at work in early June and went across the street to the drug store, had my blood pressure taken by the pharmacist and it was high and I was told to call my family doctor. I am a very healthy person, so having high blood pres

  • Michelle N, KY

    I am 42 years old and have Stage IV Lung Cancer. I was diagnosed June 26, 2015. I had been going to the doctor for over a year trying to figure out why I had severe shoulder pain.

  • Kristin P, PA

    On April 2, 2019, my mom passed away after living with COPD for about 15 years and fighting pneumonia one too many times.

  • Robert K, DE

    My name is Robert. I'm 43 years old, and in January 2019 I was diagnosed with stage four metastatic lung cancer. While I was as shocked as anyone who might get that news while living a relatively healthy life, I didn't stop and ask, "Why me?"

  • Carolyn P, KY

    My husband was diagnosed with cancer in November 2009 at which time his left lung was removed. He required no chemotherapy or radiation.

  • Emma H, IL

    On July 27th, 2018 my Dad was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer at the age of 66. He had no real signs or symptoms of cancer and the tumor was found on accident so it took my entire family by surprise.

  • Dawn D, IL

    My Mom passed away from lung cancer on 9/20/2019, she was 59.She smoked for many years but she loved to tell the story about how I "saved her life."

  • Andrea W, OH

    My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer on August 18, 2019. She had not been sick, and it was found unexpectedly. She did not fit the criteria for lung cancer screening.

  • William L, MN

    Upper lobe of right lung removed August 2012. No chemo, no radiation. All still OK as of a few months ago.

  • Kelsey A, RI

    In February 2018, I came home from work to find the TV off. That may seem insignificant, but in our house the TV is only off when there is bad news.

  • Rebecca C, GA

    Who would have thought mentioning to my Primary Care Physician that I needed something for a slight cough, while there for another issue would lead to a diagnosis of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer thirty days later?

  • Catherine W, OH

    My story came to life 11 years ago when I turned 30. I developed a chronic cough that took over my life. Turns out I had asthma, as an adult.

  • Mary Jo G, MI

    There are days/moments in your life that you never forget, moments that leave you with an understanding that there was a before this and after this. Your wedding day, the day your children were born, and the day you were diagnosed with cancer. For me

  • Doris G, WV

    I am a non-smoker but was always surrounded by smokers. My cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, was accidentally detected during some other testing in 2010.

  • Brittany G, MO

    Laying in bed, I opened the text. Pneumonia? Wait, what? She had been battling a cough for 3 years. Was it pneumonia the whole time? Thinking we had finally found the cause of the mystery cough, I called off work and headed to the hospital.

  • Jennifer K, WI

    My name is Jen. I am 44 years old and was diagnosed on April 13, 2018 with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. To say that this was a shock is an understatement as I have never smoked a day in my life.

  • Katreena G, GA

    I did the Lung Force walk in 2018 for the first time. The year before, I lost my uncle to lung cancer. He never smoked, was a vegetarian, lived a healthy life.

  • Danielle W, AZ

    I'm Danielle and my life has changed in so many ways. On November 21, 2018 I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer which spread to my lower spine, my pelvis and the top of my right shoulder. CRAZY!

  • Tonya R, NC

    My mom told me in December of 2017 that she had been diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer. She had a persistent cough that would not go away which was why she decided to go to the doctor. It was at that time she was diagnosed.

  • Hildi C, NC

    My beautiful Mom Rose Marie was diagnosed with stage one NSCL lung cancer in February of 2019. My Mom never smoked, her Dad was a cigar smoker and my Dad smoked cigarettes for about 6 years.

  • Melanie Y, MN

    Holiday season is in full blast, and today marks one year since the passing of my mom. Because of this, I'm apprehensive about the upcoming holidays and am not feeling particularly joyful. I felt the need to get some heart words out of my mind and h

  • Andrea S, SC

    My mother died of lung cancer at the young age of 44. I was only 10 years old when it happened and I recently turned 44 this last month.

  • Heidi N, CO

    Working out 7 days a week--cardio, strength, core training, and clean eating--has been, and continues to be, a huge part of my life and who I am. I hike trails at significant inclines in Colorado on the weekends.

  • Kari P, IN

    In December of 2006, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. Of course 13 years ago it was a death sentence with not many options except chemo and radiation.

  • Mariann C, NY

    I joined the LUNG FORCE Walk because I was diagnosed in October 2015 with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. I can't believe October 2020 will be 5 years since I received the life changing diagnosis of lung cancer.

  • Katie S, OH

    My mom was a smoker as a teenager and into her early 60's. She found out she had lung cancer had surgery, no chemo or radiation needed. She scanned often and it was size of pin head.

  • Donald C, NH

    My father, a life time smoker, finally quite when he retired at 65, however 20 years later at 85 he contracted lung cancer which did take his life. My mother who never really smoked developed COPD and eventually lung cancer which was attributed to se

  • Sher E, NJ

    My lung cancer story is about LCNEC - Large Cell Neuro Endrocrine Carcinoma. I was diagnosed in March 2016. I told my doctor I was leaning to do gardening and I suddenly felt tightness and short of breath.

  • Rebecca G, WI

    My doctor told me I qualify for a new lung cancer screening. So I went to have it. The following day he called and said they found something on my right lung. So he needed me to have a pet scan. Then they said it lit up and was probably cancer so I h

  • Cindi W, FL

    I thought I had a 4am allergy cough, my husband thought I had pneumonia. I requested a chest X-ray. The radiologist saw a solitary pulmonary nodule, a mass really, with satellites. The size of a coconut.

  • Kelley J, OR

    On December 12, 2017 at 12:12 in the morning my husband lost his battle with cancer. He had been fighting for his life for less than a year, and while his family knew what the impending circumstance could be after being diagnosed with stage IV small

  • Ronald S, MS

    I changed my primary care physician. I was feeling fine and just looking for some refills of blood pressure meds. Taking my history, she recommended that I obtain a low dose CT scan. The scan was simple and easy to obtain.

  • Gale H, NC

    I am a 56 yr old woman. I smoked for 33 year. This year I went for my physical and my doctor recommended that I get the CT scan on my lungs because I was a smoker.

  • Susanne L, IA

    I am a Nurse Practitioner and have worked for 21 years - certified in Family Practice Medicine in the state of Iowa. I saw many, many patients during this time, and diagnosed and treated many lung infections, emphysema, COPD, and lung cancer cases.

  • Kristin C, FL

    My two-year-old son just passed away in July from RSV and pneumonia. He had absolutely no symptoms when he fell asleep that night, didn't cough throughout the night, and didn't wake up the next morning.

  • Michelle H, KS

    It all started with a small cough in June, 2018. Initially diagnosed as allergies and potentially acid reflux disease no one was thinking about lung cancer in a healthy 51 year old competitive rower.

  • Karen L, NY

    On February 21, 2019 I was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer, Stage IV. I was 48 years old at the time. A seizure was my one and only alarm that something was wrong. I am a healthy, active, non-smoker with no family history or other factors t

  • Sandra P, MI

    I am a 72-year old female currently living in government subsidized, multi-family housing in northern Michigan. The no-smoking in multi-family housing law went into effect July 18, 2018, yet the management company refuses to enforce the law in the bu

  • Melissa G, IA

    As I think back on my many years working in health care, and pretty much every day, I have been asked by patients, colleagues, potential employers in job interviews this same question: "What drives you to want to work with patients with lung disease?

  • Rose B, TN

    My grandmother had a massive stroke and had also been diagnosed with lung cancer, and in just six quick months she was gone. Her story is quite sad!

  • Nancy H, MN

    My journey started September of 2014. I was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. My doctor noticed a spot that did not look normal. I set up with an appointment at the Lung Nodule Clinic. The doctor there had me come in every 6 months for a scan.

  • Rhonda W, PA

    In June 2018, I was forced to find a new PCP due to my previous one retiring and his office actually closing. When I found one that was local I made the appointment to be a new patient and get that initial check up.

  • Kelly L, AZ

    I'm a 47 daughter of my mom who lost her battle to NSCLC. I was her caregiver until the end. Though it was the hardest job, I wouldn't change a thing.

  • Craig D, ME

    My brother Kim was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Chemo and radiation did extremely well by him. A second opinion concurred. He succumbed to this disease on 11/7/10.

  • Monique R, AZ

    Due to secondhand smoke and poor air quality, asthma, pneumonia, and valley fever have been apart of my life since eight years old. However, in 2011 & 2012 my health took a drastic turn.

  • Courtney P, CT

    December 2018 my entire world fell apart. I sat with my father as he was told that he had a tumor in his lung and it was most likely malignant and cancerous. In fact his first oncologist told us, "If you do treatment you will have one to two years at

  • Laurence K, WI

    My doctor urged me to have it done being I had cancer three times before and beat it. So I had it done and sure enough they found a tumor a centimeter big and sure enough it was cancer.

  • Danel R, PA

    My brother passed a week ago today due to stage 3 lung cancer. He was a smoker for years, he was 51. Please if you smoke get a check-up yearly. He did not.

  • Maria F, MD

    The doctor said, "You have Stage 2 lung cancer." I thought for sure that I didn't hear him correctly – lung cancer? After all, it was April Fools' Day so this must be a cruel joke.

  • Lynn N, GA

    Three years ago I fell and had to go to the hospital. I had a chest X-ray to check for broken ribs. There were none. But they found a carcinoid tumor on the middle lobe of my right lung. I had surgery to remove the entire middle lobe of my lung.

  • Mary T, FL

    Around mid-April 2019, I saw a poster for a free low-dose CT scan for smokers. I thought to myself, "Hmm, I should get one of those - I smoked for over 40 years." So, I wrote down the phone number and called to schedule a scan couple of days later.

  • Joyce K, FL

    I had smoked for over 40 years. My friend suggested that I get the scan. I had had the scan before and it showed nothing so I figured I would go ahead and get the scan. The scanned revealed a stage 1A 2 spot on my lung.

  • Dawn D, FL

    I am a native of Mississippi but have lived in South Florida for close to 20 years. I am married to John D'Onofrio and we have two children. Isabel is 14 and Jackson is 11. I am passionate about the ALA for many reasons. Sadly, I have seen up close a

  • Stacey N, FL

    Today would have been my mother's 65th birthday and retirement celebration after almost 45 years in the workforce. My mother never smoked. I always share this with people to make them aware that anyone can get lung cancer. I'm ashamed that I didn't k

  • Tracy F, NE

    Born in small-town Nebraska in 1941, my father began smoking cigarettes when he was a young adult. Our family photo albums are full of pictures showing my dad holding a cigarette or an ashtray strategically placed on the kitchen table nearby.

  • Jacy M, MS

    My name is Jacy Miller from Madison, Mississippi. I have stage 4 adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer. It is not curable according to the doctors. On December 16, 2018, I woke up with a pain on my side like a pulled muscle.

  • John F, MD

    My name's John and I quit smoking in 2007. I had smoked a pack a day for almost 30 years up to that point. In early 2019, my wife and I read an article about low-dose CT scanning. Knowing first hand from experiences with relatives how horrible cancer

  • Pamela H, CT

    The first thing I asked my new PCP was to order this scan. I don't know how I knew about it, but at long last there was a screening test that was approved by insurance. I was a heavy smoker for many years and had quit 11 years before.

  • Elsie "Gaylene" G, ID

    As a child I was sick a lot and was diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis with bronchial pneumonia over and over again. I think I may have been destined to have lung cancer no matter what I did because of this. I developed a cough in late 2016 that con

  • Cori D, IL

    At the end of October 2018, I went to my G.P. for my six month check up for my cholesterol screening. My doctor suggested a low dose CT lung scan since I had smoked a pack a day for 30 years.

  • Jacquelyn B, OR

    I went to my regular physician for my annual check up. My weight was fine with no loss or gain, no hypertension, blood pressure excellent, heart rate well within normal limits. I was feeling great! My husband and I exercised daily, walking up and dow

  • Linda P, PA

    My sister-in-law was screened, they detected cancer. They removed it and she did not have to have any radiation or chemo, just check in every year. I had my first scan, they are watching a spot.

  • Barbara T, MO

    It has been two years, and I have just had my third CAT scan. Two years ago they found a nodule in my left lung so now I have scans every 6 months. I have my next one this coming December 2019.

  • Nancy L, FL

    This is story is not about me but my mother and I call her story Joan's Journey. My mom passed of complications from lung cancer and treatment Nov 2nd, 2018 at 76 years of age. My mom led a very healthy, busy, active life; traveling, spending time wi

  • Gregory M, MT

    In 2018, I celebrated turning 70 and retirement by setting several challenges for myself including running my first half-marathon in July and finishing building a sailboat and getting it on the water in October.

  • Don G, CT

    In April 2016, I had my first low dose CT scan. My primary care doctor thought they saw something. A month later I had my first PET scan. Pulmonologist confirmed it was lung cancer, stage 1.

  • Susan C, VT

    My story is a little different. I had JRA as a toddler which maimed both hips, so at 35 I had my first hip replacements. Twelve years later I had to have my left one replaced.

  • Phyllis S, NY

    I was given a CAT scan on all my organs by a new doctor. I had lost my sense of smell so a brain scan was the reason this was ordered by my doctor. Because of these scans my lung cancer was found.

  • Loretta W, NC

    I was a 45 year smoker. It was common for me to have Bronchitis every six months or so. One episode lasted six months. I already had CT scans that showed nodules in my left lung.

  • Sean Keoni C, HI

    My mother was first diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma back in late 2013. Although she had been a smoker, she had quit about five years prior to her diagnosis. After a few appointments with an Oncologist, it was determined that she would have surgery to r

  • Maria F,

    The doctor said, "You have Stage 2 lung cancer." I thought for sure that I didn't hear him correctly – lung cancer?

  • Eliza R,

    The doctor said, "You have Stage 2 lung cancer." I thought for sure that I didn't hear him correctly – lung cancer?

  • Bruno T,

    The doctor said, "You have Stage 2 lung cancer." I thought for sure that I didn't hear him correctly – lung cancer? After all, it was April Fools' Day so this must be a cruel joke. Sadly, it wasn't. The severe pain in my back that had mysteriously...

  • Harrison J,

    The doctor said, "You have Stage 2 lung cancer." I thought for sure that I didn't hear him correctly – lung cancer?

  • Stevie Q,

    The doctor said, "You have Stage 2 lung cancer." I thought for sure that I didn't hear him correctly – lung cancer?

  • Alexis D,

    I was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer in July, 2014, just two months after my 64th birthday. My diagnosis was a shock, given by an oncologist I had just met and a prognosis that was dire, 6-9 months.

  • Lidia V,

    As an OB/GYN working full time, a single mom of two teens and maintaining and renovating my home on two acres of property, the diagnosis of non-small cell adenocarcinoma of the lung hit me like a brick wall!

  • Nicole D, OH

    My name is Nicole, I'm 22 and a recent college graduate. I am a former college cheerleader, an avid runner, a proud alumnus of a sorority, and a huge Cleveland sports fan. I also happen to only have 1 healthy lung.

  • Noreen P, NY

    I am here today on a whim. I'll never forget it, it was a simple question I ask my doctor, and a simple response that saved my life. I was smoke free for a little over a year after being a pack a day smoker for thirty plus years.

  • Robin B, CA

    My mom was hospitalized with severe blood clots in her neck and arm. In the process of finding the cause, the doctors found a small nodule on her lungs.

  • Eric P, CT

    Lung Cancer: The silent killer. My story starts out much like many others, I happened on my diagnosis by chance. One day I was scratching my neck and felt a small lump, I thought nothing of it but it would soon make me think twice.

  • Ashley B, DE

    My grandfather Robert Corzine passed away from stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer on November 24, 2012. His diagnosis of lung cancer changed and affected my life tremendously.

  • Randall H, Washington

    In January 2016 my best friend and partner told me he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. I vowed to be with him every step of the way as he bravely fought this disease.

  • Selina T, Utah

    My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in March of 2016. After eight months of chemo, radiation, hospital stays, surgeries and an awfully lot of pain and inability to eat, he passed away on November 12th of that same year.

  • Julia M, Tennessee

    This story is about my sister Rita Moretti Scruggs who succumbed to metastatic non-small cell lung cancer on May 6, 2019. Her illness was only 10 months long and she was stage 3 with a 5 cm tumor when diagnosed.

  • Roberta R, ND

    For much of my life, I have been around smoking. As a young child, my father smoked in our home. I can still see him sitting by the gold-colored stove blowing his smoke into the vent fan.

  • Deb S, NH

    I'm an 8 1/2 year survivor of stage 4 lung cancer thanks to medical research, clinical trials, superb care at my cancer institute and pure luck!

  • Paul S,

    Life as I knew it changed profoundly over the course of a few weeks in 2017. Little did I know how it would unfold and all of the challenges that I would face going forward.

  • Marla P, NV

    Mom was on vacation when everything started. They just kept saying it was a cold. After going back and forth to the hospitals, they kept her overnight to run tests.

  • Monica P,

    In February of 2014, my sister Courtney Cole, who also was my business partner at the time, started complaining of chest pain after coming into work one morning.

  • Angela B, OH

    I lost my mom, Deborah (Pierce) Bailes, on February 19th 2019 to lung cancer.  Being so young – she was just 58 years old – and otherwise healthy, the most difficult thing about this loss was that it felt like she never even had a chance.

  • Sheila P,

    I was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007 when I was 47 years old, so my journey has spanned about 14 years so far.

  • Jack V,

    Petra J Enriquez was one of the most beautiful and the best Nana God blessed me with.

  • Timothy S,

    My name is Tim Smith and I am a 35-year-old nonsmoker with a beautiful wife and two little boys ages 5 and 8. I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell ALK+ on November 8, 2018.

  • Gail B, WI

    I had a slightly heavy feeling in my chest and I wasn't sure what it was. I thought perhaps it was a panic attack, even though I was not anxious about anything. I did not have a constant heaving feeling, I would only feel it occasionally.

  • Melissa E, WI

    My story hurts—and hurts a lot! It started back in 2004 when our family lost our Auntie Sandy to lung cancer. Fast forward to 2016 when we tragically lost three additional family members, again all to lung cancer.

  • Emily Y, NY

    My mother lost her five-month battle with stage 4 small cell lung cancer in January.

  • Mary-Jane G, FL

    It was 2010 when the bronchial infection that I picked up on my recent trip to Egypt was still lingering, so I decided to visit my doctor. It was unlike me to not bounce back quickly from an infection, so my doctor recommended an X-ray.

  • Nora P, NY

    My primary doctor and I decided I needed to get a scan since I started smoking at the age of nine! So at the age of 54, in 2016, I got a low dose CT Scan.

  • Paul S, IL

    Life as I knew it changed profoundly over the course of a few weeks in 2017. Little did I know how it would unfold and all of the challenges that I would face going forward. Although I had smoked on and off as a young adult, I quit for the sixth and

  • Karen R,

    I am concerned about the perfume smells in laundry products. I am surrounded by five laundromats in my neighborhood-one from each direction east, south, west, and two to the north.

  • Nora P,

    My primary doctor and I decided I needed to get a scan since I started smoking at the age of nine! So at the age of 54, in 2016, I got a low dose CT Scan. Well, in early 2018 when I had a physical with my primary care physician, she told me that I h

  • Beatrice L,

    I live in Riverside County, California and my neighbors constantly burn wood fires. We have to keep our windows closed even when it's warm inside and we would live some cool fresh evening air to cool the residence down.

  • Mary-Jane G,

    It was 2010 when the bronchial infection that I picked up on my recent trip to Egypt was still lingering, so I decided to visit my doctor. It was unlike me to not bounce back quickly from an infection, so my doctor recommended an X-ray.

  • Melissa E,

    My story hurts—and hurts a lot! It started back in 2004 when our family lost our Auntie Sandy to lung cancer. Fast forward to 2016 when we tragically lost three additional family members, again all to lung cancer.

  • Selina T,

    My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in March of 2016. After eight months of chemo, radiation, hospital stays, surgeries and an awfully lot of pain and inability to eat, he passed away on November 12th of that same year.

  • Roberta R,

    For much of my life, I have been around smoking. As a young child, my father smoked in our home. I can still see him sitting by the gold-colored stove blowing his smoke into the vent fan. Maybe this eased his mind, but the vent was not actually conne

  • Rhonda V,

    My story is about my mom who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer on July 3, 2014 and lost her battle seven weeks later. She was the dearest, most caring and giving person on the planet and there was nothing worse than watching her gasp and strugg

  • Monica P,

    n February of 2014, my sister Courtney Cole, who also was my business partner at the time, started complaining of chest pain after coming into work one morning. At the time, Courtney was a 42-year-old mother of two, who was really into doing mini-tri

  • Alicia K,

    The letters below were sent to the governor's office in Juneau, Alaska in 2015. They are my story. My mother passed away peacefully on September 23, 2015.

  • Deb S,

    I'm an 8 1/2 year survivor of stage 4 lung cancer thanks to medical research, clinical trials, superb care at my cancer institute and pure luck!

  • Angela B,

    I lost my mom, Deborah (Pierce) Bailes, on February 19, 2019 to lung cancer. Being so young—she was just 58 years old—and otherwise healthy, the most difficult thing about this loss was that it felt like she never even had a chance.

  • Gail B,

    I had a slightly heavy feeling in my chest and I wasn't sure what it was. I thought perhaps it was a panic attack, even though I was not anxious about anything. I did not have a constant heaving feeling, I would only feel it occasionally.

  • Kim K,

    My hero is my dad! The Fight for Air Climb in my town happens a day before his 76th birthday, and he suffers from COPD and emphysema.

  • Timothy S,

    My name is Tim Smith and I am a 35-year-old nonsmoker with a beautiful wife and two little boys ages 5 and 8. I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell ALK+ on November 8, 2018.

  • Samantha H,

    I am a breast cancer survivor living in southeast Michigan. Air quality, smog, secondhand smoke, hooka and woodfires/firepits are constant obstacles to my health.

  • Jack V,

    I have PRCC in my lungs, which is kidney cancer in the lungs. I have received no treatment or medication and have not participated in any clinical trials. I was given two years to live on Sept. 24th, 2016.

  • Randy H,

    In January 2016 my best friend and partner told me he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Together we have over 50 years of law enforcement experience and had been working together for over 10 years. I vowed to be with him every step of the way a

  • Eric P,

    Lung Cancer: The silent killer. My story starts out much like many others, I happened on my diagnosis by chance. One day I was scratching my neck and felt a small lump, I thought nothing of it but it would soon make me think twice.

  • Cynthia R, IL

    I believe there should be more emphasis on living with COPD. It's not easy being on oxygen 24/7.

  • Samantha J, OH

    August 13th 2019 is a day that will forever be embedded into my memory.

  • Lisa M, WI

    I joined the Fight for Air Climb in 2018. I work for Anthem and they are the presenting sponsor for the Milwaukee event. I climbed in honor of my mom. She had learned of a scan that should be done, especially for former smokers (which she was).

  • Jody S, WA

    Three and a half years ago, I lost my husband of 35 years to idiopathic familial pulmonary fibrosis. He was 56 years old.

  • Jorge A, AZ

    The air might kill us! I said the air we breath may kill us.

  • Stacie S, FL

    I am 44 yrs old and I have struggled my entire life with asthma but only realized how much in the last few months.

  • Marissa G, CA

    Multiple studies have linked air pollution to autism.

  • Burk K, NY

    I am a 95 year old widower. Early in 2019 I decided to move from Tacoma, WA closer to married children in the Boston and Philadelphia areas.

  • Myra C, GA

    I have been diagnosed with asthma while residing in Metro Atlanta. I have been wearing face masks to endure the incredible high pollen counts that aggravate my asthma.

  • Pranav P, WA

    My mother suffers from Sinus issues. When we visit our grandparents in India, I have seen her symptoms flare up resulting in frequent sneezing.

  • Allan T, WV

    I am an engineer whose entire professional career has been focused upon eliminating air pollution. I lived and worked in Southern California for 30 years including working with SCAQMD to eliminate pollution.

  • Debra P, MO

    I have had COPD for more than five years. I had to retire early because of this disease.

  • Tara C, NY

    My mother, Lauren, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer, January 31st, 2017.

  • Linda L, TX

    My husband has COPD.  Exercise is important for him, but gyms are closed due to COVID-19.

  • Dianne H, TN

    Pulmonary Fibrosis has affected my everyday life for almost five years.

  • Javier S, CA

    On April 24, 2020 I was at a middle school, using the school's field to walk laps and exercise. After the workout, I began experiencing multiple asthma symptoms, such as chest tightness, airway constriction, dry mouth and pain.

  • Will A, WA

    I presently work in building maintenance and my employer has specific rules about smoking tobacco and marijuana in the leases of the apartment complex that I work at.

  • Teresa T, MD

    I was diagnosed February 2017 with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer.

  • Susan C, VA

    I saw your commercial on television and went to the doctor asked her about the test.

  • Deyne M, MA

    I was born downwind of oil refineries, along the Delaware River, outside of Philadelphia. This was in 1947, and there were no regulations about filtering the stacks, which put forth quantities of particles in the air.

  • Brandi C, MI

    My name is Brandi Crawford-Johnson and I have severe asthma.

  • Hannah V, NJ

    Growing up I watched my Dad smoke 1-2 packs of cigarettes a day. At a young age, I was educated on the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke but never thought this horrible addiction would change my life forever.

  • Carol H, TX

    I was first told I had pneumonia from a CT scan. Without further investigation I was given the antibiotic called Cipro.

  • Donna W, IN

    My husband passed in June. He had lung cancer, plus chemo pneumonia and immunitius.

  • John Y, AK

    Preserve and protect our clean air.

  • Debra S, FL

    On February 22nd, 2018, at the age of 55, I was diagnosed with Stage IV EGFR lung cancer.

  • Jamie F, NY

    For years, I've been trying to figure out what's going on with our air. There would be times where the air felt so thick I was dizzy, had vertigo, couldn't breathe right, my skin always feels like it has a film of slime at the end of my day.

  • Richard M, PA

    In 2016, my primary care physician recommended yearly screening lung CT scans. I had a 40 history of cigarette smoking and had developed a chronic cough. She also sent me for pulmonary function tests which revealed COPD.

  • Dr. Christine H, TN

    Climate change poses serious threats to the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.

  • Alan B, FL

    Years ago a chest x-ray was part of my annual physical. Since moving to Florida I had not had one in 13 years so I asked my doctor to write an Rx.

  • Adasha K, TX

    I am a 52-year-old mother of three, grandma of two. I live in a county where the EPA does not have air quality stations present.

  • Kristie C, TN

    My Dad, Raymond Paul, was diagnosed with IPF in 2015.

  • John S, FL

    I was first diagnosed on Valentine's Day 2019 with stage 3b NSCLC.

  • Barbara S, MI

    I lost my beautiful momma last October 16th, 2019 to Squamous Cell Lung Cancer.

  • Olivia R, OH

    Have you ever met someone so full of life, so vibrant, so generous, kind, and warm-hearted whose only wish for her life was to become a doctor to help people like her? Erin is that person.

  • April D, NY

    Kimberley was a sister, friend, daughter, aunt and wife. Her passion for life and will to live will never be forgotten.

  • Michelle M, NY

    I am a lung cancer survivor and was fortunate to have insurance during my illness.

  • Patricia K, AZ

    My story begins with my husband, Keith. He was diagnosed with COPD in 2011 and only a short time was then on oxygen 24/7.

  • Brianna M, OR

    Oregon is suffering right now tremendously. Not only have so many lives been lost from the wild fires raging out state but now we are suffering hazardous air quality!

  • Thomas A, NY

    I had a form of throat cancer with a tumor, due to 55 years of smoking. The had to remove my voice box and part of lymph nodes to eliminate the cancer.

  • Dave K, MI

    For the past four years I have gone to my doctor and talked about a cough, keeps up at night and lasted most of the day. The doctors thought I had allergies, maybe bronchitis. I am 56 with no risk factors.

  • Lyndia E, TX

    My name is Lyndia Engstrom. I have COPD, frequent pneumonia and require regular nebulizer treatments.

  • Michael P, IN

    My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in august of 2020 she is currently doing chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments.

  • Marilyn S, TX

    My name Marilyn K Smith. A couple of years ago nodules were found on my lung. Since that time I have had several lung infections and been hospitalized many times. Yes I smoked all my life.

  • Dianne C, SC

    I have asthma and some of my many triggers are cigarette smoke, colognes, perfumes, body sprays and essential oils.

  • Marie M, ID

    I have PTSD. Not because my lungs are bad, but, I sit and watch my husband cough and choke everyday. He has COPD.

  • Michelle A, CO

    Since my initial lung cancer diagnosis in December of 2015, my life as I once knew has forever changed.

  • Jean P,

    My dad died six months ago from lung cancer.

  • Crystal N, CA

    My dad was my best friend and was the first person I would go to when something great happened in my life.

  • Stephen H, TN

    Stephen Huff is a high school teacher from Franklin, Tennessee, who has lived with stage IV lung cancer since a rare diagnosis at 29 years old.

  • Adriana F, AK

    I was diagnosed with an adenocarcinoma in my right lower lung lobe at age 35 after having my daughter.

  • Christina G, MA

    My story began in December 2019. I went to visit my 2 month old granddaughter in Arizona and at the time she was sick.

  • Charlotte B, AZ

    Hello my name is Charlotte Buchanan now. Well let me say I've had a very hard life.

  • Phuong H, NC

    I remember the warm summer day sitting on my patio when my sister commented "Your life is pretty posh". I laughed and thought to myself, she is right!

  • Terita M, MI

    My mother, Theresa Ezekiel - Haley, was diagnosed with lung cancer in February of 2018.

  • Eugenia S, AZ

    Today I emailed four local news channels in Tucson, 4, 9, 11 and 13, asking them to post air quality numbers, along with the temperatures in TV weather reports.

  • Barry B, SC

    My father died from lung cancer in June of 2013. Prior to his diagnosis, he was a strong, healthy and active man.

  • Carson S, VA

    It has been a year. A year ago I received the call. My mom, with a shaky voice, told me that though she had been admitted to the hospital for what had looked like pneumonia, it was not in fact pneumonia.

  • Mike S, SC

    My stage 4 lung cancer story starts in 2016.  After experiencing breathing spasms and tightness in my chest along with pain, I knew that it wasn't my asthma bothering me.

  • Sara G, IA

    In 2019 I was 39, and looking forward to my 40th birthday.  I wanted it to be a healthy milestone, so I joined a kickboxing bootcamp.  By the end, I felt amazing but thought I had pulled a muscle in my chest.

  • Debbie H, IL

    I am a Family Nurse Practitioner, diagnosed with NSIP for only two months and this has devastated my life in a short time period.

  • Delores M, MD

    I was recently diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis.

  • Kimberely S, TN

    I used be former smoker but higher power told me to stop.

  • Ginger B, KY

    My dad, Don Kunz, was one of a kind. He was a great husband, father, grandfather and friend.

  • John A, IL

    In April 2013, an on the job injury to my left shoulder resulted in multiple X-rays, one showed a spot on my left lung.

  • Kate W, KS

    My Lung Force story begins in the summer of 2015.

  • Melisa P, VA

    I'm 46 years old and have had asthma all my life.

  • Brian B,

    When Brian Bowman wakes up each morning and starts his day, the sky looks bluer, the flowers smell sweeter and his love for life and his family is so much more precious.

  • Mariann C, NY

    I joined the LUNG FORCE Walk because I was diagnosed in October 2015 with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

  • Lida Z, TX

    Stage IV Lung Cancer – a frightening diagnosis, and a shocking one, too, for a non-smoker.

  • Leah P, KY

    On December 18, 2019 I was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer EGFR Exon 19 deletion with mets to my spine and pelvis.

  • Tom M, MN

    I was diagnosed with IPF in 2019 and have been wearing oxygen for a little over a year now.

  • Karen B, GA

    My lung cancer journey started November 2007 during my annual physical.

  • Joseph M, FL

    2021 will mark 15 years since my father, Vito Salvatore Mannino, succumbed to lung cancer.

  • Leann F, NJ

    My personal lung cancer story is not just about me. It is about the impact lung cancer has had on my immediate family.

  • Jim P, MI

    My wife was six and a half months pregnant on the day my lung cancer was diagnosed. We were not prepared for that diagnosis, and, given that it was made by a rheumatologist, it really came out of left field!

  • Valerie D, HI

    In the summer of 2012, my sister Eleanor Grace (who had relocated to California) came home to Hawai'i for a visit. During this time she spoke of a nagging cough she had "for a while and can't seem to get rid of it."

  • Aaron H, TN

    It was Halloween 2019, I had a biopsy a couple weeks ago and wasn't worried about the results until my doctor called and said the sentence that is tattooed in my brain.

  • Alan T, WV

    As a Dual Citizen of Canada, an engineer whose entire career has been focused upon eliminating air pollution and addressing the Anthropogenic Climate Change Crisis, I have lived with an asthma condition ever since moving to West Virginia.

  • Vicky F, NC

    I am a single mom of a joyful 5 year old daughter.  I am an Information Technology (IT) remote worker for more than 12 years.

  • Brenda B, KY

    My mother died from pulmonary fibrosis in 2008. She was diagnosed and given five years but she lived eight.

  • Susan B, NM

    I had almost never been sick in my life until, at 60, I developed asthma/sinusitis.

  • Steph L, IA

    I was 33 years old in the month of May, 2012. At the end of the month, I became ill with symptoms of a sinus infection, high fevers, and a cough.

  • Heidi B, IN

    I was sitting in my accounting office in July 2012. My Mom called my office and asked me to come over right away but to not bring my son. I had a feeling that a serious situation was unfolding but had no idea what she would have to tell me.

  • Janet P, RI

    Honey, wake-up; I'm coughing up blood. I did not fully comprehend the gravity of my Lovey's situation on that early Saturday, March 9th morning in 2019 until a few hours later.

  • Sura A, IL

    This is the story of my father with COPD.

  • Anne S, AR

    My husband Bill and I were together 35 years before stage IV lung cancer took his life in 2015. He was diagnosed in August and was gone a few days after his 74th birthday on Oct. 28.

  • Kevin D, CO

    Hi my name is Kevin Douglas I have a Twitch channel called TheRaspyShow. I talk about my respiratory issues.

  • Martha A, RI

    My name is Martha Ahmed. I was diagnosed with Stage IV Non Small Cell Lung Cancer in February 2018.

  • Peggy J, AZ

    November is Lung Cancer @lungassociation Awareness month and also my one-year anniversary as a Lung Cancer Survivor.

  • Mia S, IL

    My initial symptoms began in 2019 with overwhelming fatigue, back and leg pain. My primary doctor recommended that I do stretching exercises and gave me pain medicine.

  • Vicky B, IN

    The air was tested in my home that I rent and it is nine times higher than normal.

  • David B, MA

    My story is all too similar with many you will read. My mother passed away after battling lung cancer for the greater part of a decade.

  • Mandi P, OK

    In December of 2019 I was diagnosed with bronchitis.

  • Denise L, CA

    'Saved By The Scan' . . . This was the billboard I glanced up at as I was stuck in traffic on my way home from work.

  • Nicole H, UT

    I grew up in Southern California from 1995 until 2013 when I left the state to go to college. I don't remember how old I was when I was diagnosed with asthma, but it was early enough that I can't ever remember not having it.

  • Sharon L, OK

    I am a US Navy wife, the mother of two wonderful men, and the grandmother of an adorable grandson. I was a heavy smoker until I quit in 2011. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-small cell adenocarcinoma in 2015.

  • Jennifer W, MO

    My mother died Christmas Morning 2002 at the age of 65 from lung cancer.

  • Tiffany K, IL

    Asthma has impacted my life greatly. I went from running around in corn fields in MS to working in a populated area like Chicago and that's when the problems started.

  • Amy S, CO

    For 30 years as a teacher, I watched more and more of my students begin to require the use of inhalers until my retirement in 2011.

  • Jimmy S, CA

    Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who have high-deductible health insurance plans may be more likely to avoid essential care due to costs compared to those who have low- or no-deductible plans.

  • Bruce K, WI

    The biggest threat to children's health is destabilization of Earth's climate.

  • Lauren E, ID

    When I was in eighth grade I came home one day from school and walked into my family room. My mom and dad sat there in front of me with their heads hanging low, barley making eye contact with my brother and I.

  • Gregory K, NV

    I worked over 30 years in manufacturing, supporting the aerospace & defense industries. When I retired, I lost my medical and dental benefits.

  • Elizabeth M, KY

    I was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in May 2019. At the time, I had a 6 month old and 2.5 year old. We were devastated and completely blindsided.

  • Jay C, WA

    It's coming up on eight years now (March 27, 2013) since I lost my wife and Nelson lost his loving mother, Patricia Leonard.

  • Laura B, WA

    Imagine you are a nonsmoker who has just retired and planning on enjoying your new life across the country and you discover you have stage 4 lung cancer!

  • Marlo P, CA

    March 2021 will mark the 7 year anniversary of my diagnosis date for stage 4 non small cell lung cancer.

  • Karen P, VA

    On April 8, 2020, at 12:37 a.m. my life forever changed. My beloved father, Richard Cox, took his last breath surrounded by his loving family.

  • Pat L, PA

    Imagine being in Iceland, flying 30,000 feet in the air on sight line for the lunar eclipse! What a wonderful expedition! It was only marred by a persistent cough.

  • Cristina K, DE

    I am asked to share my LUNG FORCE story, but, truthfully, the story is not mine, it really is all about my husband Rob.

  • Claudia H, OR

    I have been asked to share my story with you. I begins in 2004 when I heard those dreadful words, "you have cancer". This shook me to my core. I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

  • Danielle G, ME

    My name is Danielle George and I became involved with LUNG FORCE back in 2019 when Amy Richard, one of my best friends and colleagues, was diagnosed with Stage IV lung caner.

  • Irisaida M, FL

    I'm a stage IV cancer patient. I fight to live, but every day I also fight to breathe.

  • Heather L, MD

    My name is Heather Lohmann and the story I am about to share is not my own but sadly has become mine to tell. This story is about my mother. My Mom's name is Christine Dunn and she lost her battle to lung cancer on July 8, 2019.

  • Amanda C, DE

    I lost my father to stage four lung cancer just ten days after he was diagnosed. We watched as he rapidly withered away, cough by cough. In just 240 hours, he was gone.

  • Lisa C, CA

    I live in a Section 8 affordable living apartment building in Fullerton, California. I am disabled and live alone with my beloved companion chihuahua.

  • David B, WV

    After 17 years of marriage to the most wonderful lady I had ever met Marjorie was diagnosed with lung cancer.

  • Ashley R, NM

    After enduring bouts of pneumonia and other debilitating respiratory issues, I was finally diagnosed in 2013, at the age of 32, with a pulmonary neuroendocrine tumor (NET).

  • Marie S, KY

    In 2019 was diagnosed with non small cell lung cancer stage 3! I was shocked because I had not had any symptoms to complain about.

  • Patricia W, KY

    Hello! My name is Pati, and this is my lung cancer story. First of all, I am a mom, a grandma, an art teacher, an artist, a dancer, a runner, a lover of life.

  • Jennifer T, OH

    I have asthma and am a school nurse. Asthma is the number on chronic disease that causes school absenteeism.

  • Louis C, PA

    Hi, my name is Louis V. Cesarini. I am a stage 4, non-small cell lung cancer patient. I've recently published a book; Survival Symphony which chronicles the first year of my lung cancer journey.

  • Sherryl L, AZ

    My son, Christopher LaGrone died of high-altitude sickness in Cusco, Peru in December, 2018. He was asthmatic since the age of 2. He died at age 41.

  • Pam C, AR

    I started coughing from what I thought was a virus in November 2011. It never went away.

  • Janet S, PA

    My husband and I live in Elizabeth Township, pa. The CLAIRTON MILL blows across our area, and all of the surrounding areas.

  • Lorraine W, PA

    I live in Butler County on the border with Allegheny County-Pittsburgh region. I have asthma and allergies having spent my childhood in Pittsburgh and in a household of smokers.

  • Ronald J, PA

    This picture was taken after a normal race night 100 yards from the track.

  • Janet W, ME

    I've had asthma for 51 years. For the last 2 years I've been living in an apartment owned and operated by a shelter that's HUD funded.

  • Gwendolyn W, IL

    I am living in low income housing with a disability and I am a single parent. It seems no one who runs our building has any concern about creating a healthy environment.

  • Judi R, PA

    I am 76 years old and have had hypersensitive pneumonitis for the past three years. Due to that lung disease, I have CT scans and the last showed a nodule had grown rapidly.

  • Luciana L, MA

    As a health care advocate, smoking should be banned from the inside environment of every building.

  • Jade G, WI

    Hello everyone, my name is Jade Gaertner, I'm a healthy 30 years old woman who is affected by poor air quality; from both indoor and outdoor reasons.

  • Lindsay T, KY

    I have been living with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension for over 13 years. I was diagnosed at the age of 23 and have spent the majority of my adult life unable to walk up a flight of stairs without needing to stop and catch my breath.

  • Pamela J G, TX

    I climb every step for my two sons Grant and Garrett who had asthma growing up and for my good friend Linda Liberatore who died way too young after a short battle with lung cancer in 2019 and everyone fighting to breathe.

  • Bryan L, CA

    On calm, clear winter nights, our town fills with blue smoke from woodstoves and fireplaces. My eyes burn, head aches and I awake with severe congestion. Some years this happens a few times, but this past year it happened for two months straight.

  • Marcy R, IL

    Brandon William Ward was 21 years old when he died. He loved life, his family and friends and wrestling. He died of an asthma attack due to lack of medication.

  • Valerie R, FL

    I started climbing for air in 2012 because an amazing Marine I met in 12/2011 had a cough that bothered me. I'm a nurse and I encouraged him to see a doctor.

  • Julia T, ID

    I was diagnosed with Stage 4A NSCLC in August 2019.

  • John R. B, CA

    As a physician and researcher, I know that climate change is an urgent health issue that affects my patients now and future generations.

  • Angela W, CA

    Climate change is real, it is now. As a mother and pulmonologist, I see the myriad ways through which climate change corrodes the health of not just my patients, but my family, friends, neighbors and community.

  • Praveen B, CA

    Cleaner fuels will help my patients breathe easier. We have no control over the air we breathe, but we do have a say in what pollutes it.

  • Sharon C, CA

    All communities deserve a healthy climate. Air pollution has detrimental effects on fetal development, sends people to the hospital for respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, and worsens asthma and COPD.

  • Laren T, CA

    As a pulmonologist, I've witnessed firsthand the effects of climate change and poor air quality on my patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Taking a stand to reduce climate pollution is what our children and patients deserve.

  • Alex S,

    California's leadership is keeping my patients healthy. Strategies that lower greenhouse gas emissions also lower ozone precursors and the most deadly small particle pollutants.

  • Karen J, CA

    When you can't breathe, nothing else matters. Forget the "controversy"-- fighting for clean air results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions and benefits the health of all.

  • Tze-Ming (Benson) C, CA

    Clean air equals healthy air. Climate health is of critical importance to our own personal well-being and that of our children and future generations.

  • Gary P, CA

    The wildfires are a wake-up call. The devastating wildfires in our communities served as a wake-up call. The unfolding climate crisis is impacting human health now and will become even more of a factor in the future.

  • Hassan B, CA

    We know that even when people improve their health by kicking smoking and exercising more, air pollution can slow that progress, and lead to more pulmonary and cardiovascular consequences.

  • Michael O, CA

    Healthy solutions will help California achieve smog and soot goals.

  • Penny B, CA

    As a health officer with the San Luis Obispo Public Health Department, I view climate change as an urgent health issue

  • Cindy R, CA

    To do so we need to extract ourselves from the use of oil, gas and coal, implementing cradle to cradle clean energy systems in concert with conservation measures.

  • Anthony D, TN

    As a 30-year volunteer of the American Lung Association, including former chairman of the nationwide organization, I understand the threats of air pollution on lung health and the devastating impacts of lung disease on our families and communities.

  • Robert B, MT

    Air pollution endangers our patients' health. Air pollution endangers our patients' health and contributes to approximately 107,000 premature deaths every year in the United States alone.

  • Josephine M, KY

    Clean air cannot be taken for granted. The quality of the air we breathe is critical to everyone's health, but in particular, to persons with respiratory and cardiac limitations and to children, who have developing lungs.

  • Sumita B. K, OH

    Climate change affects everyone. There are many reasons why I work to fight and increase awareness around climate change. The most important reason is simple: Humanity.

  • Lucy K, CA

    As a physician and mother, the climate crisis is never far from my mind. As a physician and mother, the climate crisis is never far from my mind.

  • Aparna B, OH

    Support clean air policies for our children's health. As a pediatrician, I am dedicated to ensuring a healthy future for all children.

  • Therese S, MI

    Clean air is essential to all of us. I fight for clean air and climate action because I lost my mom to lung cancer in 1986.

  • Peggy Ann B, OH

    Make the change toward a healthier environment. The reality is that breathing is becoming more difficult for many older adults and children with asthma because of climate change.

  • Sonal R. P, CA

    I owe it to my children to fight for climate health. With asthma, you wheeze, your chest tightens, you cough and are short of breath.

  • Sunil K. S, CA

    Clean air is the right of every individual. As a specialist in treating childhood asthma, I see first-hand the effects that pollution has on the health of our most vulnerable population - children.

  • David Tom C, CA

    Fighting for a healthy climate. Too many of our patients surviving lung diseases are being sickened by air pollution.

  • Marc F, CA

    Climate action is the best medicine. As an emergency physician, I see the profound effect climate change will have on our lives.

  • Mary Anne T, CA

    Strong clean air leadership will help my patients breathe easier. As a pediatric pulmonary specialist, I support policies that will help improve air quality.

  • Afif E, CA

    Cutting emissions today means healthier children tomorrow. Like air pollution, climate change impacts vulnerable populations the most, including our children.

  • Catherine Sonquist F, CA

    Fighting climate change is crucial primary care medicine. Climate health is crucial for public health. Science continues to demonstrate that we must join together with the rest of the world to slow climate change.

  • Bruce B, CA

    We must act decisively, and now. The food patients eat, the water they drink, and the air they breathe are all crucial for their well-being.

  • Linda R,

    We know what we need to do to chart a new course to prevent catastrophic climate change: stop burning coal, oil, and gas, as quickly as possible. But time is short.

  • David P, CA

    The patient - our planet - has a fever. In addition to increased temperatures, the acid level in the oceans has increased 0.15 units in the last 100 years.

  • Robert M. G, CA

    We must act urgently to halt global warming. We need to act urgently to halt the worsening course of global warming.

  • Jose J,

    We are what we breathe. The Central Valley has been consistently ranked one of the regions with the worst air quality in the nation for over a decade. It's high time we clean up our act and the air we breathe.

  • Daya U, CA

    Climate change imposes a serious threat to human health and our environment. We must act now and raise our voices to fight climate change and support strong clean air policies.

  • Bruce K, WI

    Climate Change is a Health Emergency: One of the biggest threats to children's health is destabilization of Earth's climate.

  • Carol Z, TN

    My patients bear a greater burden from the health harms of climate change and air pollution. Climate change and air pollution disproportionately impact my patients.

  • Ying , TN

    Climate change harms health.

  • John S. Y, AK

    Preserve and protect our clean air. We all depend upon the air we breathe for life.

  • Christine A. H, TN

    I strongly urge a united front on climate change. Climate change poses serious threats to the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.

  • Randolph J. L, WI

    We must not underestimate the need for clean air. As a physician, I see how the climate and air quality affects my patients with lung disease, every day.

  • Erika Maria M, OR

    Climate change is (quite literally) sickening. As a lung and ICU doctor, my patients' health is threatened by unhealthy air and climate change, and now COVID-19.

  • Glenn R. S, FL

    Right now, the air we breathe is in crisis. Health care professionals have a responsibility to help diagnose and treat patients, and to help the community at large when there is a crisis.

  • David H, CT

    Climate change is a public health emergency. Climate change is a public health emergency, and poses a dire threat to lung health.

  • Mallory H, TN

    Let's all work to promote clean air. It is my role as an educator and respiratory practitioner to teach students and patients about the importance of monitoring the air quality reports.

  • Jessie W, OR

    We must unite together to protect our patients. As I walk among the towering trees, listening quietly, breathing deep the moist air, I am reminded of the interconnected web of life.

  • Bernadette Mae , NV

    We are all in this together. Human health is linked to the environment. As a nurse epidemiologist, I see the mounting evidence of the association between air pollution, accelerated climate change, and adverse health effects.

  • Juanita M, IL

    We must support action on climate change to protect Latino community.

  • Amanda M, CA

    The climate crisis is a health crisis, specifically for our kids. The climate crisis is here and it is harming our health and the health of our children.

  • Ashley E. M, CA

    Clean air policies are healthy climate policies. As a primary care doctor, I have taken an oath to prevent sickness and to protect human health and safety.

  • Peggy P, ME

    We need policymakers as partners to achieve healthy air. It's hard telling my patients they shouldn't exercise outside on bad air quality days.

  • Robert J. B, IA

    Access to clean air is critical. As a pulmonologist I am motivated by helping to alleviate my patients' suffering from asthma, COPD, lung cancer, pneumonia, and other lung diseases that can be caused by and exacerbated by dirty air.

  • Joan P,

    I was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy about 10 years ago - and another name for this heart/lung disease is Congestive Heart Failure. Currently, during the COVID- 19 outbreak, I have had mild symptoms which subsided after about 2 days.

  • Evelyn P, MA

    I have been going through a difficult time, a time of trials, grief, despair and sadness. The coronavirus is still raging and even spiking in some states.

  • Charlotte T, MD

    I am a coronavirus survivor. Thank you Lord.

  • Dorothy H, NJ

    My story is about the coronavirus. I do not know how or where to get testing here in Monmouth County, NJ.

  • Shanna J, IL

    In November, 2020 my partner and I elected to skip my family's Thanksgiving celebration due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. My mom was sad, but said she understood.

  • Kathleen S, WI

    On May 22, Local 494 will sponsor a team to climb the steps, safely outdoors, at Milwaukee's American Family Field. This event is a fundraiser to support the American Lung Association.

  • Brennah R, OR

    I'm Brennah and I am a current Oregon Kid Governor Cabinet member. My platform is Air Pollution.

  • Diane G, RI

    In April 2010, my husband Bob was diagnosed with stage for non-small cell lung cancer.

  • Debra C, TX

    I was diagnosed with COPD over 10 years ago. Now in 2021 my symptoms have gotten worse, as my doctor said they would.

  • Dianna L, IN

    This is about my severe asthma and moderate COPD. Next month I will have my annual breathing test and let the pulmonologist tell me what stage I am in. I haven't smoked cigarettes in 10 years!

  • Saida M,

    Hello my name is Saida Mahoney. I am 24 years old and I am a performing arts major in college. I love to sing, dance and do theatre.

  • Richard S, PA

    I'm a retired Philadelphia firefighter who now has COPD from my work.

  • Shannon P, TX

    I had two confirmed mild cases of COVID-19 over a six month (6/5/20 and 12/26/21) period. Two weeks after I recovered from the first episode I began having constant shortness of breath, dry cough and chest tightness.

  • Douglas C, AR

    I would like to share something my wife Janet Lynn wrote six months before her death on January 10, 2021 from emphysema. If it can save one life we would be grateful. Janet wrote this to smokers.

  • James A, NY

    Air quality has made it hard to breathe and so we all must do something to change it so that asthma and all lung problems can be a thing of the past.

  • Kat S, CA

    My father died of lung cancer in 2019. Recently I was at an appointment with my cardiologist, who also treated my father while he was alive.

  • Caliel C, OH

    I have had COVID-19 since June 14. I'm currently in the hospital with pneumonia.

  • Saptarshi B, NY

    I tested positive for COVID-19 on April 2021 and was admitted to hospital on May 7th due to shortness of breath.

  • Shanay P, NV

    I'm a 40 year old woman who has never been sick and tries very hard to stay healthy. After getting COVID-19 I realized that mental and emotional health are just as important.

  • Suzan S, OR

    I got COVID-19 from my son when we went to visit our first granddaughter after my husband's massive heart attack.

  • Marie G, CO

    I got COVID-19 in April 2020 and continue to struggle with post COVID-19 health conditions.

  • Adrian N, FL

    I have pneumonia brought on by COVID-19. I am a 40-year-old man in great shape. Blood work was perfect a week before. Itching started in chest and lungs then flu like symptoms set in. The flu like symptoms lasted six days then the pneumonia set in.

  • John B, FL

    My wife and I contracted COVID-19 at our class reunion. I got the vaccine and was only mildly sick for a couple days.

  • Vicki C, NJ

    I have mild COPD from many years of smoking. I quit in 2008 but experienced shortness of breath prior to contracting COVID-19 in March.

  • Patsy M, CO

    My son developed COVID-19 in Texas, as a pharmacist.

  • Ken T, TN

    July 15, for the third time, my wife Deb went to the emergency room complaining about asthma. She was vaccinated for COVID-19, her second shot was March 2021.

  • Tashona M, MD

    My name is Tashona and on February 2,2021 I went into cardiac arrest. My oldest daughter found me in the bedroom unresponsive and called 911.

  • Nathan N, TX

    I caught COVID-19 in June of 2020 and I was in a medical coma for four weeks and had to be revived twice.

  • Sharonne L, OH

    My nickname as a child was Ms. Lungs. Why you may ask? My voice roared like a lion when I would yell. I also would try to sing, still do on occasion, like Chaka Khan or Aretha Franklin. Those were the good ol' days.

  • Sarah M, FL

    My husband and two sons and I self tested at home and found out we have COVID-19 eight days ago.

  • Melissa M, NY

    My two babies, son and I contracted the delta variant of COVID-19.

  • Crystal R, NV

    Unfortunately, lung disease is no stranger to our family. My grandfather was a musical legend. At least, our family believed so. He played any and every instrument from violin and guitar, to his most known specialty, the piano.

  • Hope T, MS

    My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. It's metastatic.

  • Lori B, PA

    My sister-in-law Gwen G. was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 58. By 59 she had lost her battle, but not before putting up a great fight.

  • Cortney B, CO

    On January 22, 2021 my mother was admitted to the hospital, while at my sisters house in Florida, with pneumonia and a collapsed lung.

  • Tonya J, SC

    I just recently (May 13, 2021)  loss my only child to severe asthma. The grief I carry everyday is unexplainable yet I have the renewed strength to type this story to you all.

  • Anthony M, CA

    My COVID-19 story: First and foremost, thank you to my wife Lisa Mendoza for taking care of me.

  • Shirley T, WI

    Hello everyone. My name is Shirley and I was recently diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer and I am in complete shock.

  • Jessie H, TX

    I grew up living by a military runway and we were under the flight path. I'd look up when the 747 flew over my head and see the bottom of the plane.

  • Bobbie B, VA

    My dad was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer May 10, 2021, and I remember the heartbreak as I heard those words even though deep down in my gut I already knew he had some type of metastatic disease.

  • Kolleen P, FL

    I was young, healthy and working out at gym working everyday. Then I got COVID-induced double pneumonia in July and I had to stay in the hospital for three months.

  • Rick H, OH

    We have a redevelopment project going on very near our home on the west side of Cleveland, OH.

  • Jim W, OH

    It was sometime in early 2016 when I was diagnosed with lung cancer. Oddly I don't remember the exact date. Early that year, while getting tests for a separate health issue my doctors noticed spots in my lungs and referred me to a pulmonologist.

  • Judy R, IA

    I have pulmonary fibrosis. I first became aware of a problem when I was 22 -years-old. I woke up one morning with horrible pain in my upper back.

  • Jennifer S, PA

    My neighbors burn straight coal in their wood burners, my mom lives next door and has COPD.

  • Cheryl C, IL

    On June 28, 2020 after a routine CT with contrast I was notified that I had Stage III lung cancer. My world came crashing down once again.

  • Michelle M, NY

    My name is Michelle McMahon and I am a lung cancer survivor.

  • Cristina M, MA

    Hi, my name is Cristina Menezes and my story is about my sweet dad, Juan Rodrigues.

  • Shai G, CA

    My mom had COPD, asthma, MS, and muscle issues at the early age of her early thirties.

  • Anne W, NH

    In February, 2021, I had a routine chest X-ray before my scheduled spinal fusion surgery. It showed a mass and a CT confirmed non-small cell lung cancer. A brain MRI confirmed that there were also spots on my brain.

  • Jessica G, NC

    I have terrible allergies, and poor air quality makes them worse. I have seen the direct impact of bad air.

  • Tripp A, TX

    Me and a couple other fourth grade students are creating a presentation and board game against smoking we want to let people know how much smoking can affect your life ranging from health to climate change.

  • Elinore S, NY

    My cancer (squamos cell) was discovered by a routine X-ray on December 6, 1983. I consequently went through surgery four days later.

  • Christine D, OH

    Hello, My name is Chris and I have non-small cell lung caner. I am living proof that cancer is not a death sentence. I was a smoker until the day I found out that I had cancer. I quit when I left the doctor's office that day.

  • Geri D, PA

    I was scheduled for a lung screening that was cancelled in Spring 2020 because of COVID-19.

  • Theresa C, MA

    I had IPF in 2017. I had to have lots of tests in 2018. I was then placed on the transplant list for 13 months.

  • Laurie S, CA

    I had been a smoker for 30 years, a non-smoker for 20 years, and was always aware that lung cancer was still a possibility.

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