Battling Cancer

November is International Lung Cancer Awareness Month. And I am greatly honored to start my post in this blog with this very relevant event.

During this month, all over the world, advocacy groups, medical associations and people from all walks of life are organizing activities with the aim of stepping up awareness about of lung cancer.

According to the Lung Cancer Alliance

Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM) is a national campaign dedicated to increasing attention to lung cancer issues. By organizing rallies, distributing educational material, holding fund-raising events, contacting Congress, and speaking to the media, those involved in LCAM bring much-needed support and attention to a disease that each year kills more people than breast, prostate, colon and pancreas cancers combined.

Some of the activities are listed below.

United States

Lung Cancer walks and runs

What better way to show your support than to participate in a walk or run. Your participation will not only be supporting the lung cancer awareness cause, it will also be good for your health. A couple of walks and runs have already been organized last weekend including CancerCare’s 6th Annual Lung Cancer Walk in Woodbury, New York last Sunday. However, some more are being planned on the coming weekends of this month.

• 4^th Annual Atlanta Lung Cancer Awareness Run & Walk 2008
  Saturday, November 8, 2008
  8:00 am 5K Fun Run, 8:30 am: One-mile Walk
  The Concourse
  Sandy Springs, GA
  Organized by the Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Lung Cancer Alliance-Georgia
  Theme: Because every breath and every step counts
• 5^th Annual Lung Cancer Run for Hope
  Saturday, November 8, 2008 9:00am
  Bogue Falaya Park
  Covington, LA
• First Annual Caine Halter Lungs For Life 5k Run/Walk
  5K run and walk
  Saturday, November 8, 2008
  YMCA - Caine Halter Family Branch
  Greenville, SC
• Stomp Out Lung Cancer
  5K walk
  Saturday, November 8, 2008
  11:00 am
  Oakside Community Park
  Biglerville, PA
• Love Your Lungs  
  5K walk
  Saturday, November 8, 2008
  9:30 am Core Creek Park Pavilion 11
  901 E. Bridgetown Pike
  Langhorne, PA
• 2^nd Annual Free to Breathe® Raleigh 5K
  5K and 1 mile run and walk
  Saturday, November 8, 2008
  9:00 AM
  North Carolina State Centennial Campus
  Raleigh, NC
• First annual Free to Breathe® 5K in the Triad area
  5K and 1 mile run and walk for individuals and families
  Saturday, November 15, 2008
  7:00 am
  Grandover Parkway
  Greensboro, NC
• Walking to Fight Lung Cancer in Memory of Saira Garcia
  5 km walk and fun run
  Saturday, November 15, 2008
  9:30 am
  JW Cate Recreation Center in the Northwest Complex
  5801 22nd Avenue N
  St. Petersburg, FL
• Lisa’s 2^nd Annual Lung Cancer Awareness 5k/Run and Walk
  Sunday, November 16, 2008
  JJ Boomers
  Lowell, MA
  11:00am - 12:00pm
  Contact Diane LeBlanc at PurpleGrape425@comcast.net
• Every Breath Counts: Walk for Lung Cancer Awareness
  Saturday, November 22, 2008
  Ventnor Boardwalk Community Center
  Ventnore, NJ

Cocktails and dinners

• Crush Out Lung Cancer!
  Wine tasting fundraising event
  Sunday, November 9, 2008
  1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
  The Wine Crush
  3131 East Broadway
  Long Beach, California
• Roseann’s Gift Cocktail Party
  Tuesday, November 11, 2008
  7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
  Strata in Manhattan
  915 Broadway at 21^st Street
  New York City, NY
• Joan’s Legacy Annual Strolling Supper with Blues & News
  Gala fundraising event
  6:30pm
  Tuesday, November 18, 2008
  Frederick P. Rose Hall
  New York City, NY
• Brittany’s Annual Angel Gala
  Gala fundraising event
  3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
  Sunday, November 23, 2008
  1705 Prime
  Raleigh, NC

Workshops and fairs

• Lung Cancer Awareness Fair
  University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital and Clinics
  Cancer Clinics Atrium - 2nd Floor
  Madison, WI
  Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - Wednesday, November 5, 2008
  9:00 am - 3:00 pm
• Advances in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer
  Norwegian American Hospital
  Chicago, IL
  Thursday, November 6, 2008
• Wellness Community workshop on lung cancer
  Wednesday, November 12, 2008
  5:30pm - 7:30pm
  The Wellness Community
  Bethesda, MD
• Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together: The Latest in Lung Cancer Research
  Madison Marriott West
  1303 John Q Hammons Drive
  Middleton, WI
  Thursday, November 20, 2008
  7-8 pm
• Together, Facing Lung Cancer
  This is a program dedicated to give lung cancer patients and their caregivers both the information and the support they need from each other to manage their disease. The program is presented in different locations this year and you can check the schedule of events here.

Other events

• BountyFishing for Lung Cancer
  This fishing tournament will be held in honor of the Lung Cancer Awareness Month on November 24^th to 30^th 2008. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Lung Cancer Alliance!
• Shine a Light on Lung Cancer
  Lighting ceremony and candlelight vigil
  Thursday, November 20, 2008
  6:00 pm
  Prudential Center’s Boylston Plaza
  Massachusetts

Europe

In the UK several charity organizations formed a coalition called Lung Cancer Awareness Month Working Group. These organizations work to raise lung cancer awareness during the Lung Cancer Awareness Month every November. Some of the members of the coalition are listed below. Please check their websites for this month’s activities.

• The British Lung Foundation
• The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
• Macmillan Cancer Support

Also take note that schedules of events sometimes can change at short notice. Please contact the organizers for confirmation.

Do you know of any events I’ve missed? Please drop me a line!

In the meantime, as we welcome the first snow and frost and suffer the first coughs and colds of this season, let us turn our thoughts to those who are or have been affected by lung cancer in one way or another.

Photo credits: stockxchng

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