Cured of Cancer Twice, Here’s What I’ve learned

I never smoked a day in my life and I’ve had lung cancer twice, 12 years apart. I
understand why many people consider it to be a “smoker’s disease,” but lung
cancer doesn’t discriminate. The number of non-smokers that get lung cancer is
consistently rising and lung cancer accounts for 27 percent of all cancer
deaths.

What does it take to be cured of cancer for the second time? It takes early
detection, rapid and aggressive intervention by a dedicated team of
cutting-edge professionals, and relentless permanent follow-up. It takes
unceasing advocacy for your own health.

Early detection and treatment are important to survival, and those can be
accomplished through greater awareness and research. Not everyone is lucky
enough to have their cancer detected early, and that is why lung cancer has
only a 17 percent five-year survival rate. We need to advocate for more
research and funding, and Lung Cancer Awareness Month is the perfect time to
start.

This is why I’m involved in the 11th Annual Philadelphia Free to Breathe
event on November 6. Free to Breathe is working to double the lung cancer
survival rate by 2022 and I am proud to support this effort. Let’s cure lung
cancer the first time and every time.

-Marlin Killen, Wynnewood