Lung Cancer Advocacy

Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer deaths. More people die from lung cancer than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer combined. Every day 433 men and women die from this scourge of a disease. Yet it is dwarfed in federal cancer research funding and charitable contributions.

My wife JoAnn and I became active lung cancer advocates in 2008 in honor of my Dad who passed away at the early age of 58. In 2013, we were both diagnosed with cancer (breast, melanoma). We briefly considered switching our cancer advocacy efforts to one or both of our cancer types. But we didn’t. A review of Federal research funding by type of cancer revealed a glaring disparity in the allocation of funding with respect to mortality. Lung cancer claims the most 

We became volunteers for the inaugural Annual Greensboro LUNGe Forward 5K run, walk and rally event  the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina and founded Team Steele to are both cancer survivors (breast, melanoma) but we have chosen to focus our energy and resources as lung cancer advocates. Initially we did so in honor of my Dad. However, a review of federal cancer research funding by type of cancer pointed to the glaring disparity in the allocation of funding and resources for lung cancer. It was an obvious choice.

In 1987, lung cancer claimed my Dad at

the young age of 58. There were scant treatment options and an advanced stage lung cancer diagnosis was a death sentence. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments merely extended lives by months not years. Here we are 31 years later, and we are finally witnessing major steps forward in the war against cancer. The advent of immunotherapy, precision/targeted personalized genetically targeted treatment programs, noninvasive stereotactic radiosurgery, and a nearly full pipeline of new oncology drugs have created a great deal of optimism among researchers, survivors and their families, medical clinicians, and advocates like myself and my wife JoAnn.

Please spread the word about our organization and events with your family and friends. The sooner we close the funding gap, the sooner we will make breakthroughs and save hundreds of thousands of lives.