Free to Breathe aims to double lung cancer survival rate

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 9/29/15

Free to Breathe, a non-profit lung cancer research and advocacy organization, has set a goal to double the survival rate of lung cancer patients by 2022.

Kristen Connolly, the …

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Free to Breathe aims to double lung cancer survival rate

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Free to Breathe, a non-profit lung cancer research and advocacy organization, has set a goal to double the survival rate of lung cancer patients by 2022.

Kristen Connolly, the regional events manager for Free to Breathe and a Warwick resident, said the best way to ensure a better survival rate is through research, but despite being the leading cancer killer, lung cancer specific research is one of the least funded.

Lung cancer patients are stigmatized as “smokers” and therefore almost perceived as responsible for the diagnosis, but according to Free to Breathe anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 of lung cancer diagnoses annually are for people who have never smoked in their life.

Connolly’s mother, Barbara, was one of them. She was diagnosed in 2013 and died only six months after.

Connolly had been volunteering and participating in Free to Breathe events since 2012 and her uncle’s diagnosis with lung cancer, but after the passing of her mother she decided to dedicate her career to the cause, becoming the regional events manager earlier this year.

“I just fell in love with the organization,” she said. “It’s only through research that we are going to save lives. You never know, the $25 you donate may be the $25 that gets us to a cure.”

Part of Connolly’s concern is that lung cancer is so often only diagnosed in the later stages, as with her mother, and research should not only focus on a cure but also how to increase early detection.

To help raise funds for research Free to Breathe is hosting its 8th annual 5k Run/Walk on October 3 at Slater Park, with Kristen captaining a team. Free to Breathe hopes to raise $75,000 at this year’s event.

Connolly said that the event itself is a time to honor those lost, support those who are battling and celebrate the survivors of lung cancer.

“It’s an inspirational and hopeful day, but it’s also a time for remembrance.”

The 8th Annual Rhode Island Free to Breathe 5k Run/Walk will be Saturday, October 3, at Slater Park-Daggett Farm at 1 Newport Ave., Pawtucket. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. and the race will start at 8:55. Online registration closes on Sept. 30 and will cost $25 for an adult and $15 for anyone 12 or younger. On the day of the race registration increases to $30 for an adult and $20 for those 12 and younger.

Proceeds from the walk/run will support Free to Breathe’s research initiatives and goal of doubling the lung cancer survival by 2022. For more information or to register visit www.freetobreathe.org.

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