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Raising Awareness / by Heather Geraghty


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Raising Awareness

January 23rd, 2012 - by admin

by Heather Geraghty

http://blog.lungevity.org/2012/01/23/raising-awareness/

Awareness is the single most important aspect of a cause and without it, the cause simply could not exist.

Lung cancer impacts more people every year than any other cancer, yet it is a cancer with the least amount of awareness. In fact, when most people think about lung cancer it is usually masked by smoke. This narrow perception of the disease makes awareness that much more imperative to advocates and survivors alike.

Although nobody deserves cancer, lung cancer remains the most stigmatized. Whether you smoke or not should not matter. Big tobacco companies invest billions of dollars every year to ensure the most addictive products, and I think those who fall victim are hardly the ones to blame. Can you think of a time where you felt victim to a scam, exploitation, or addiction? Smoking is not a reason to be blamed, punished, banned or victimized by society. And for those who smoked, they don’t deserve a “life sentence”.

I believe that lung cancer needs more awareness through educators. There are not enough people talking about the disease, advocating for patients, and encouraging a change in society’s overall view of lung cancer. It is crucial to know the facts, not just for your health but for those around you. Lung health should be universal, and prevention education should not be categorized by whether someone smokes or not.

I feel like LUNGevity Foundation is one of the only non-judgmental organizations fighting against this disease. Katie Brown, Director of Support and Advocacy, said it best when she described the Foundation as “cause agnostic”.

My name is Heather Geraghty, and I am a former cigarette smoker. I was diagnosed with lung cancer at 24 years old, and I celebrated one year lung cancer free on January 20, 2012.

I encourage you to learn the facts about lung cancer, and I challenge you to spread awareness.

“Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired.” –Erik Erikson

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