Emailed Message from Jill Feldman

[KatieB]

http://mailblast.nologyinteractive.com/ ... ignID=1650

December 2, 2009

Dear LUNGevity Family:

This past January, at the age of 39, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I have four young children. I lost my dad to lung cancer when I was 13, so I know the pain of a child losing a parent to this disease. I am fighting for my own life and fighting to ensure that my children don't grow up without a mother.

Lung cancer has killed five members of my family: my mom, my dad, two of my grandparents, and my aunt. I became involved in LUNGevity Foundation eight years ago to honor their memories and to transform my fury against lung cancer into a positive way to help others.

You and I are drawn to LUNGevity for the same reasons: we lost someone close to us to lung cancer or we knew someone fighting the disease. And we want to make a difference.

For the past eight years, my involvement with LUNGevity Foundation has empowered me. And LUNGevity Foundation has made a real difference in the fight against lung cancer - funding research, providing hope and support to those affected by the disease:

Since 2001, we have raised more than $10 million for research into the detection, treatment, and cure of lung cancer.

Each year, we support more than 7,000 thousand patients and their families through our online Lung Cancer Support Community.

This year, more than 15,000 people participated in our national events - increasing awareness about lung cancer across the country.

My family's history has meant that my involvement in LUNGevity has always been personal - from when I started as a volunteer in 2002 to when I became President of our Board of Directors in 2007. But my commitment has never been more important than it is now. And I can assure you that all of us at LUNGevity are fighting lung cancer harder than ever before: we are growing faster and we are putting your contributions to the greatest possible use. Every dollar we spend on research is matched by our granting partners, which means that your contribution goes twice as far in an effort to find a cure.

Please join me in the fight against the disease that has already affected each of us. We may not talk about lung cancer as openly as we do other diseases, but the more progress we make the more we get the word out. And it's up to us to raise and spend the research dollars, because no one else is: not the government, not our healthcare system, not corporations. It's up to us to feel the urgency and wage the battle against the disease that will steal 160,000 of our loved ones this year.

As we enter this holiday season, please consider making a contribution to LUNGevity Foundation. We feel the urgency of the battle as never before and encourage you to join us as we fund hope together.

Together we will find a cure for lung cancer.

Sincerely,

Jill Feldman

President

[RandyW]

THanks Katie for sharing this!!!