Lung Cancer Awareness Month - lack of attention

Caroleigh
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HI All - I'm joining the many of you who have ranted about the lack of PR and acknowledgement of Lung Cancer Awareness Month. I know it is up to us to spread the word so we will be given the same attention as Breast Cancer and HIV/Aids Awareness.

"The University where I work just started promoting this on their home page - The University has designated the first week of December as AIDS Awareness Days. We are promoting a series of events to educate the community about AIDS and the impact the disease continues to have on people from all walks of life. "

This is so frustrating when not one thing has been promoted about Lung Cancer Awareness month or at a minimum - Nov 20th the Great American Smokeout.

Have they not looked around campus and seen all the young students smoking. I'm sure more students will be affected by lung cancer in the future than Aids.

Ok - done ranting and back to advocating and spreading the word.

NO MORE and **CK Cancer

10 replies

tkane

I am trying to do my part in my small section of the world. I have interviewed by our local ABC station but many important points I tried to make ended up on the cutting room floor. CBS - local station, will be interviewing me on Thursday. I will attempt again to drive home several important points about Lung Cancer. Our local weekly paper also have written an article about my story. It will be in the paper on Monday. All small steps but at least it is a start.
Terri

bayrealtor

Cathy got a call this evening asking her if she would like to donate to breast cancer to which she replied,
"Have you donated to lung cancer which kills more people each year than breast, colon and prostate cancer together?" She then calmed down and asked the person to make a donation to lung cancer and thanked her for making calls to help fight cancer.

MOM20CATS

I sometimes wonder why Lung Cancer, the invisible cancer, has chosen an invisible ribbon to represent it. The bright pink ribbon for breast cancer sure stands out more than our transparant one does....... M.C.

1lung

I contacted my local branch who did a story on me about my cancer when it was happening. I told them for being lung cancer awareness month it would be nice to have one article they didn't have to go all out like they did with breast cancer!! And I told them they left my story hanging and unfinished and I have alot of people in the community that want to know how I am doing. I asked them to do an article this month to update my story during lung cancer awareness month this was over a week ago, I got a email saying someone would call and I knew they wouldn't!!

FrankClem

I was fortunate enough to write an article and have it published in a few local newspapers.

http://www.enterprisenews.com/opinions/x406938779/Letters-to-the-editor-for -Nov-14

Sometimes we have to be persistent in getting our point across. Had one of the newspapers refused, a segment of my editorial would certainly have focused the light on that newspaper's unwillingness to bring the issue at the forefront during Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

~Frank

cad1223

It makes me sick at how little attention lung cancer is getting. I mailed letters to my local paper, our local CBS station, NBC, The Early Show on CBS and MSNBC, asking them to help give lung cancer some attention. Not one of them even had the courtesy to send an acknowledgement that they even received the letters. It's appalling! What is it going to take for lung cancer to get the attention it deserves?

Cheryl

jgaynor711

In answer to Cheryl's question, "What is it going to take for lung cancer to get the attention it deserves?"

This is what it's going to take:

It's going to take US, you and me. We need to NEVER taking no for an answer, NEVER let other people's fear and ignorance stop us from trying to get another letter to the editor printed, another fundraiser's goal met, another awareness-building event filled with more and more people getting educated about this terrible disease.

If you're waiting for someone else do so something about lung cancer... don't hold your breath.

Action starts right here - right now.
There's no nationwide bandwagon you can jump on. CREATE the bandwagon.

And remember:

Lung cancer awareness is NOT a month.
Its a movement.

WE are the foot soldiers. WE are the movement.

Join the movement.

Do something. Do ANYTHING. Even if all you can do right now is talk about it, TALK about it - to people who don't know the truth. But if you can do more, do MORE. We need MORE.

Without us, nothing will be done. And that includes the survivors, yes. But it NEEDS to include the sons and daughters and husbands and wives, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends and colleagues who have lost a loved one to this disease or who have watched the one they love suffer at the hands of this disease.

We need to speak out for those unable to breathe.

We all need to do something. And we can't wait.

Cancerblog

OK. You all want to know what you can do? Stop your whining and get active.

Each one of us who is not currently suffering needs to get out and do something each week and begin creating a buzz. Let me tell you what I have done.

I have a weekly column in our local paper called "Living with Cancer -- My Diary", I've made a special trip to Washington to personally lobby Congress for more research dollars, Ive worked to elect public officials who are going to support legislation to do more, I've e-mailed family and friends to sign the LCA petition demanding more research dollars, I've written a letter to the editor on Lung Cancer Awareness and the need for screening, I've contacted my local TV stations asking that they do a story, and I asked my local radio station to promote lung cancer awareness. (I was invited on the the local talk-radio station on Monday.)

Fact is, if we wait around for someone else to do it, nothing is ever going to happen. I would encourage everyone to get active to do whatever you can to help change perceptions. We need to become better than the breast cancer advocates in rallying people to our cause!

Caroleigh

Dear Cancerblog - Your actions are very much appreciated and admirable, but this is a place to vent & complain with out judgement. So let me clear some things up. I am new to Lung Cancer as of July `08 and am an active advocate who believes you can't complain if you aren't doing something to help. Like many other posters I have written to my local and state representatives, Oprah, Ellen, my two local papers as well as three local radio stations. I am on Facebook spreading the word. I have been on our local radio station during the "health segment" educating local listerners about this disease. I have a sign hanging outside my office expressing Lung Cancer Awareness and have already started thinking of a fundraiser for next year (my profession is that of a fundraiser/development officer).

But I agree with your overall message that we need to be active and as long as you are doing your part the occasional complaint is warrented.

ljphoto

Here are a couple of interviews I did for LCAM.
http://www.kusi.com/news/goodmorning/34751119.html
here is another one
http://www.fox4morningblend.com/tabid/3530/story/27087/Default.aspx

And here is a newspaper article.

http://www.sdnews.com/pages/full_story?article-Cancer-survivor-speaks-out-f or-more-treatment%20=&page_label=LJVN_home_features&id=712612-Cancer-surviv or-speaks-out-for-more-treatment&widget=push&instance=LJ_news_left&open=&

It's easy to complain that nothing is getting done but you're not allowed to unless you have done something yourself. Have you:
Attended a lung cancer event?
Written a letter to a politician?
Written a letter to a newspaper?
Tried to get a TV interview?
Made a donation to help those who are involved and representing you?

If not, then why not?
Have you sent your email address to LCA so that you will be contacted, along with tens of thousands of others, when we need to get a politician to get on board with a lung cancer bill?

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