Dr. Timothy Mullet, Director of the Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Clinic at the Markey Cancer Center at UK HealthCare, and Lindi Campbell, Lung Cancer Patient and Advocate, contribute compelling information about the dangers of radon exposure from their own professional and personal perspectives. This article was written by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Environmental Health.

Kentucky survivors discuss the impact their lung cancer diagnosis has had on their lives and how the stigma that surrounds the disease negatively impacts overall survival. There is a great need to educate the public that anyone can get lung cancer, regardless of smoking history. Radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer in never smokers and is the #2 cause of lung cancer overall, second only to smoking. The only way to help reduce the stigma is to educate the public of the varied causes and help our citizens understand that #anyonewithlungs can get lung cancer. This is a statewide issue that must be addressed. It’s time to erase blame and shame with conversations and action geared towards compassion and a cure for all!

Thanks to a $35,000 grant from Lilly Oncology, Breath of Hope Kentucky was able to collaborate with the EGFR Resisters patient and caregiver group to create 5 downloadable educational materials about the EFGR mutation and a welcome video for all newly diagnosed patients to view and learn more about this community. We are thankful and proud of this project that helped create a centralized location where patients and their loved ones can be educated about this diagnosis of EGFR positive lung cancer. The initial news can be so overwhelming and patients often have no idea where to turn to seek all the guidance and information they may need or want to know about their disease.  To learn more about EGFR Resisters and these materials visit EGFR Positive Lung Cancer Resisters Advocacy Group (egfrcancer.org)