Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women accounting for one in five of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.
With November being National Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the American Lung Association hosted its 11th annual Lung Force Walk on Nov. 16 at the University of North Florida for the first time.
Walkers were able to choose between a one-mile walk and a three-mile walk to participate in. Participants started and finished at the UNF J.B. Coxwell Amphitheater, regardless of which route was chosen.
The Lung Force Walk is a recurring global event hosted at varying locations open to everyone. It is free to register online to participate.
Participants are given the option to donate to the cause, but are not required to in order to walk. Those who donate $100 or more also receive a free Lung Force Walk t-shirt.
Dr. Mei Zhao, Brooks College of Health Interim Dean, was the keynote speaker for the Lung Force Walk hosted at UNF.
“Right now, in this country, 37 million Americans are suffering from lung-related disease,” Zhao said. “A study showed that for most lung cancer patients, they had never smoked in their whole life, but they still got this lung cancer.”
The funding raised by the American Lung Association goes towards researching the development of lung cancer and other lung diseases to help discover what leading factors are causing patients to develop lung cancer, if they had never smoked. The funding also provides doctors with the technology they need to catch signs of cancer development earlier on in patients.
American Lung Association Development Director, Cindy Springer, said this funding had saved her own life. Springer had a CT scan done in 2021 and had seen a 6mm spot on her lung, the spot had grown to be 9.7mm when she found out it was lung cancer. Springer was able to spot and catch her lung cancer early on and receive treatment for it while it was still stage 1.
“On March 1st of last year, at 35 years old, having no symptoms, no risk factors, having never smoked a day in my life, I found out I have lung cancer. Just 29 days later I had surgery,” Springer said. “Fast forward to today, as of my last CT scan in August, I am cancer free.”
According to Springer, the American Lung Association funds “millions and millions” of dollars of research every single year.
“I am just one tiny example of this life-saving mission that we are funding, the money we’re raising in funding this research has saved my life,” Springer said. “Thank you for every single penny and dollar raised. It is truly, truly saving lives and I just wanted to say thank you for playing a part in saving mine.”
The Lung Force Walk raised $68,840 from this event alone and the University of North Florida participants contributed a collective $860.
As research and funding progresses, the survival rate of Americans with lung cancer has increased from 13% to 22.6% in the last five years, according to the American Lung Association.
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