My mom was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer on June 1, 2012. When we heard the diagnosis, my mom said “Stop crying, we’ve got this.” My sister and I immediately went into fight mode. We drove her to multiple appointments and organized a team of medical personnel that we knew would fight just as hard for her as we were.

She first heard of LUNGevity Foundation in September of 2013 while listening to her favorite radio station. One of the deejays was also a survivor and he was promoting the upcoming Breathe Deep Dallas walk. Several members of our family joined her at the walk. We were immediately welcomed. One of the staff members sat with my mom while we did the walk. She was told about the LUNGevity HOPE Summit in Washington DC that is geared to lung cancer survivors, and she decided she wanted to go.

Prior to the Washington DC summit, there was a regional summit in Dallas. There we met several other survivors. Meeting them and hearing their stories bolstered her resolve to keep fighting. When we went to the DC summit we met even more survivors and added to our group of new friends. We heard from medical professionals about the research they were doing. We met with other caregivers and learned from their experiences. We formed several friendships that are forever friendships.

Since then, we have attended several regional summits and Breathe Deep Dallas walks. We always enjoyed our time at those events and will continue to support them. If you have never been to a LUNGevity HOPE Summit, I encourage you to go. At the HOPE Summit you will learn more about the disease and the research that is happening. You get to interact with experts and ask questions. You will also learn about the all the support resources that LUNGevity provides to patients and their families.

Proceeds from this tribute fund will benefit LUNGevity Foundation, the leading private provider of research funding for lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease.

Please join in the effort to stop lung cancer, the leading cancer killer. Your support will mean so much to all of us.

LUNGevity Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law.