The month of November is a time to give thanks. It means turkey dinners, time with family and those after-Thanksgiving sales. But did you know that it’s also Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM)? Those of us who have been personally affected by lung cancer understand the importance of this month. Lung cancer advocates want to make others aware of this disease; that it is the number one cancer killer, and there’s a great need for funding and support so that more people can survive it.
Support programs and resources for people living with lung cancer are important tools for survival and a better quality of life. Stopping the stigma and changing the face of lung cancer is also important so that those diagnosed with this disease get the support they deserve and the public is aware that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.
This month LUNGevity launched a campaign to change the way people think about lung cancer. We asked our followers and supporters to join us in our effort to change how people learn about, treat and live with the disease.
We asked survivors and advocates to share photos over social media platforms that share the facts about lung cancer. We asked them to take photos with their LUNGevity “Bandy” wristband in an effort to raise awareness and start the conversation that lung cancer can happen to anyone regardless of smoking history.
Every 2.5 minutes someone is diagnosed with lung cancer. 1 in 14 people will be diagnosed with it. Everyone will know someone impacted by lung cancer in their lifetime.
In just 14 days our Facebook page soared over 50,000 likes. Celebrities have worn the wristband. We increased our Twitter follows by 2,500 and we have seen hourly activity on our Instagram and Pinterest accounts. People are talking about the lung cancer facts and hash-tagging #ChangeLC!
In addition to this added effort, we continue to focus on funding cutting edge research and offer support and community to people impacted by this disease.
I won’t forget that this month is a month to give thanks. I am thankful for our supporters, the science and medical communities. I am thankful for survivors and those that work hard so that there will be more of them. I am thankful for great organizations, like Meals to Heal, that support people impacted by this disease by offering information and helpful resources.
I hope you’ll join us as we continue our work to change the way people think about lung cancer – this month and all year long.
