Lung Cancer Awareness Month

I'm a little late posting this,  but really, EVERY month should be lung cancer awareness month. My mother died from Stage 4 lung cancer. What was remarkable, is she only had one lung! This is true. She lost her other lung to effects from having Tuberculosis as a young girl. They performed a procedure on her (not sure when) to inflate her collapsed lung. They put something akin to ping pong balls in there. Unfortunately they found a way to burst out of her lung, and they had to remove it.

My mother did well for many years with one lung. When cancer finally got her, it moved in fast.  To watch her struggle to breathe daily was something i'll never ever get out of my mind. BUT, she wanted to do things like 'normal' people, even though she was attached to an oxygen tank. Shop, visits to the zoo, and even Disneyland were always something she wouldn't say no to!

One year, she wanted to go to Vegas with me. Our friend and neighbor, Chuck, rigged up the backseat of our 66 Pontiac Grand Am to hold her giant oxygen tank (the one we attached the smaller portable tank to, so that we could refill it).  Mom and I spent 4 days in Las Vegas. We had a wonderful time. The rigging of the backseat of the Grand Am came in handy, when mom and dad went back to Vegas just about 2 months before she passed. 

This is me (at about 1yr old) and my mom. and yep, there's a cigarette in her hand. i chose this picture because besides the beauty of the picture there's also a reminder to me of why she's not here.   

I found this posting about Lung Cancer Awareness month. It rings true!

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month!! Did you know that?     It seems not many people do.

I’m going to challenge YOU to take part. If you’re reading this, you not only know someone with lung cancer, you will be personally touched by it at some point in your life. (sorry to say)

225,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in the US this year. Approximately 160,000 will die.

That’s 438 people per day!

If a jumbo jet crashed killing 438 people per day – that would get attention!!

Here are a few facts:
– Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer in the WORLD
– It kills more people than breast, prostate, and colon cancer COMBINED yet it receives the lowest funding
– Lung cancer in non-smokers is the 6th leading cause of cancer death in the US
– Lung cancer is on the rise in young , never-smoking women
– If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer

During the month of November a group of amazing lung cancer survivors/bloggers are going to feature someone each day that has been affected by lung cancer. You may not blog but you can still participate.

READ them, SHARE them, and HELP educate others.

If you’re my friend, care about me or my family, or have a personal experience with lung cancer, I am relying on you to help me raise awareness.

It is only after educating the public, we can then tackle the funding issue.

Thank you in advance for your support!