The idea of creating or participating in events that raise awareness about lung cancer is very close to my heart. My mother started the Breathe Free Walk to support lung cancer research, and I was in South Carolina for its inaugural event in 2016. The turnout was amazing considering the lack of resources or experience in putting it together, and the 2017 walk was an even more successful fundraiser.
Part of raising awareness is giving voice to other patients and listening to other points of view. There are many types of lung cancer, and the patient experience can be wildly different. It is important to understand that many of our preconceived notions about these cancers paint a picture that often does not reflect the reality of these experiences.
One thing I have found very enlightening is in my exposure to patients with mesothelioma. This variety of lung cancer has long been associated with older patients who worked around asbestos, a material that has long been known to cause cancer. So discovering patients who contract this disease under the age of 50 conflicts with expectation. And yet, it is much more common than I had ever imagined.
Below is a guest post, contributed by a mesothelioma patient who shares my view about the importance of group events designed for both fundraising and awareness.
Charity Runs Help Raise Money, Awareness for Cancer
Guest author: Virgil Anderson, from mesothelioma.net
Charity runs and walks serve several purposes: they raise awareness and money for non-profit causes, bring communities together, and also promote fitness and wellness in those communities. From the smallest neighborhood runs to national organizations, charity runs for cancer are important for bringing awareness and raising funds for research and patient care. This is especially important for rare cancers, like mesothelioma, that get less attention and less funding. Here are some of the bigger runs, and a small run that is just as important.
The STOP CANCER Run/Walk
STOP CANCER is an important charity group because it focuses on raising money to help fund young researchers, those that are the most promising and who are working on innovative new treatments and preventions for all types of cancer. The annual run and walk takes place in October and raises hundreds of thousands of dollars every year and attract over 1,000 runners and walkers. It takes place in Van Nuys, California, with participants coming from all over the country to run, walk, and donate.
Relay for Life
One of the biggest cancer events in the country is the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. It is a nationwide team event with the purpose of raising funds for cancer research, patient care, and cancer education and prevention. What makes this event different from other fun runs and walks is that, depending on the particular event it lasts between 6 and 24 hours. Each team participating has someone on the course at all times, as a symbol that cancer never stops or sleeps. Thousands of events are coordinated for Relay for Life in communities across the U.S. and in other countries.
Race for the Cure
Another of the biggest cancer charity runs in the country is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Like the Relay for Life, this is a nationwide event with individual races occurring in many communities. And unlike that event it is an example of a charity run organized for a specific type of cancer. The Race for the Cure raises money for research, screening, treatments, and education for breast cancer. The races have contributed $2 billion to these efforts over the years.
Miles for Meso
Another important, but smaller running event is Miles for Meso, which highlights the rare asbestos-related cancer known as mesothelioma. It is organized by the Simmons Mesothelioma Foundation and is a 5K run or walk that raises money but also crucially raises awareness, a constant issue for rare diseases. The race began in Illinois but now is held in several locations in multiple states every year in the month of September. Money raised goes to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, which has eradicating mesothelioma as its main goal.
Fun runs and walks are not the most efficient way to raise money for a worthy cause, but there are many important reasons they are valuable. Building awareness is one of the most crucial of these reasons, especially for diseases that are not so common. They are also important for community building and getting people involved beyond simply writing a check to make a donation. And finally, these events are positive experiences for everyone, bringing people together for a good cause and to get people active and socializing. These events are to help cancer patients, but they are so much more than that.
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