Leave the Pack Behind
Thursday, November 19 is the Great American Smokeout. It’s a prefect opportunity to leave the pack behind. A cigarette pack that is. I recently read that for the first time in years, American smoke more.

Leave the Pack Behind

As you know by now, I am committed to educate more women about the need to take control of their health, this time specifically as it pertains to lung health.

Wearing: DVF wool cape sweater, J.Crew Factory dress, Cole Haan brown suede boots with J. Crew Factory pearl necklace.
Standing in front of Pennsylvania Railroad caboose at the Adams Ricci Community Park in Enola.  Wearing: DVF wool cape sweater, J.Crew Factory dress, Cole Haan brown suede boots with J. Crew Factory pearl necklace.

Let’s look at the staggering statistics: 

  • 1 in 16 women will be diagnosed with lung cancer during their life.
  • Every five minutes, a women in the U. S is given the devastating news that she has lung cancer.
  • Less than half of women diagnosed with lung cancer will survive one ear.  Less than 1 in 5 will survive five years.
  • In spite of the fact that lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer of women, a recent study revealed that only 1% of women cited lung cancer as on top of their mind.

Lung cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose.  Symptoms are often overlooked or mistaken for other conditions, leading to a late diagnosis and an upsetting prognosis:

  • Less than 10% of patients with lung cancer survive for five years after they are diagnosed.
  • Only 15% of patients diagnosed while their cancer is localized in the lung, which means the vast majority do not even realize they have cancer until it has already spread
  • More than 65% of patient s in the United Kingdom die within one year of their diagnosis.

    Lung Cancer Facts; image from American Lung Association
    Lung Cancer Facts; image from American Lung Association

Symptoms of Lung Cancer:

Symptoms of Lung Cancer.
Symptoms of Lung Cancer.

More than one disease
Part of what makes lung cancer so challenging to treat is its diversity; an estimated 1.8 million people are diagnosed each year, but it is not just a single disease.  Although non-small cell lunger cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 8–85% of all cases, it is further divided according to the type of genetic mutation at its root.

What happens to the body immediately when one stops smoking. Image credit: cancer.org
What happens to the body immediately when one stops smoking. Image credit: cancer.org

Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the world.  This Thursday, November 19, join the Great American Smokeout and leave the pack behind. Get on the road to recovery now. For more information regarding the Great American Smokeout visit the American Cancer Society or support the #lungforceday giving event to make a donation.

The 2015 Great American SmokeOut reminder date: November 19, 2015
The 2015 Great American SmokeOut reminder date: November 19, 2015

Have a fabulous week!

Siggy