I did the Lung Force walk in 2018 for the first time. The year before, I lost my uncle to lung cancer. He never smoked, was a vegetarian, lived a healthy life. But in September 2018, we found ourselves battling this disease. Here was a man who was the cornerstone of our family and suddenly we found ourselves in a battle to save his life.In three month, he was gone. His death devastated our family.
So in 2018, we did the walk as a way to honor him. It was a bittersweet moment. We were able to come together in our sadness and raise money and awareness, hoping to prevent this tragedy from happening to another. But tragedy struck again....this time closer to home for me.
My father was diagnosed with lung cancer in the fall of 2018. I took him to the doctor because he had extreme fatigue, trouble eating and pain. The doctors found a mass on his lungs following a chest X-ray and CT scan. The news was devastating for me. My dad didn’t want to do chemotherapy. He was too weak. He entered home hospice care. My brothers and I took care of my dad for forty days....that’s all the time this disease gave me with my dad. So here I am again doing this walk...another year...another tragedy. I hate cancer.
