November 7, 2014

Wear White to Raise Lung Cancer Awareness!

It's Lung Cancer Awareness Month!!!

Thank you to all my family, friends, readers, supporters who have already donated to the Lung Cancer Translational Research Initiative!  You have made a difference!  For those who haven't donated yet, please consider doing so now.  The sooner we can raise the remainder of the $10 million goal, the sooner the program can take off, help find a cure and give hope to the millions of people affected by lung cancer.

As for Lung Cancer Awareness Month, please help spread the awareness!!! Not too many people know what the ribbon colour for lung cancer is.  It used to be clear, presumably for the air we breathe or the invisibility of lung cancer, but it changed to white or pearl. Here's how you can all help:

1. Who says you can't wear white after Labour Day? Put on something white, pearl or clear (!!).  Don't be tempted to buy anything to participate. Use the money you save for donations instead. Be creative. Have fun with it! Take a selfie and post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Indicate somewhere that "WE SUPPORT LUNG CANCER AWARENESS!".  Invite your friends, family and coworkers to join in and spread the awareness. To all my friends on Facebook, please share your photo with me so I can see how dapper everyone looks in white! Thanks for joining the fight!

2. If you are not a photogenic person ;),  you can help just by starting a conversation:
"Did you know that November is lung cancer awareness month?"
"Did you know lung cancer kills 2x as many women as breast cancer and 3x as many men as prostate cancer and yet still receives very little funding for research?"
"Did you know non-smokers get lung cancer too? In fact, 15-20% have never smoked and another 40-60% quit smoking years, even decades, before their diagnosis."
"Why don't people care about lung cancer? It killed 1.6 million people last year."
"Do smokers DESERVE to get lung cancer? Are they not battling an addiction, one that used to be socially acceptable? What about those who managed to quit smoking but got diagnosed with lung cancer anyway?"

3. Donate! There are many lung cancer specific organizations you can donate to: in Canada, Lung Cancer Translational Research Initiative (via the University of Calgary), Lung Cancer Canada, or, in the US, Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, LUNGevity, Lung Cancer Alliance, or the lung cancer foundation of your choice in your community.  Despite being the biggest cancer killer worldwide, lung cancer research lacks public support and, thus, continues to be very underfunded. Please help change that. 

4. Change your way of thinking. Everyone, despite their lifestyle choices, addictions or bad habits, deserves our respect, support and compassion. Stop the smoking stigma! No one deserves cancer.








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