5K raises funds to help lung cancer prevention

Five years ago, Julie Miller of Statham and Tiffany Hudak of Bishop didn?t know that they would embark on a campaign that would result in potentially saving the lives of thousands of people for years to come.

Miller and Hudak are the local event chairs of the Free to Breathe Athens 5K and 1-mile walk that will be held Saturday at Sandy Creek Park to help raise money for the National Lung Cancer Partnership, a nonprofit organization made up of leading doctors, researchers, patient advocates and lung cancer survivors dedicated to raising public awareness of the disease and generating funding for lung cancer research.

Hudak is the founder of Free to Breathe Athens. She decided to organize a local chapter after the death of her mother 10 years ago.

Hudak?s mother passed away only three weeks after being diagnosed, and at the time of her death, no one in the family knew she was ill. Five years ago, Hudak?s father-in-law was diagnosed with lung cancer and had surgery to remove half of his lung. He is doing well today.

Hudak saw the effects of lung cancer in her family again in May of 2010 when her maternal aunt was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but lost her battle on Dec. 10, 2011, Hudak?s mother?s birthday.

?I desperately needed an outlet for the hurt, sadness and anger I was feeling,? Hudak said of founding Free to Breathe Athens. ?As a nurse, I realized the prognosis for this disease was abysmal, and that there was little to no funding being raised. After being crowned Mrs. Georgia in 2008, I embarked on a journey to educate and advocate for this disease by becoming a spokesperson for National Lung Cancer Partnership. The organization began the Free to Breathe athletic series in 2006, and I decided to organize one for Georgia.?

Miller met Hudak when she began looking for a way to make a difference in the fight against lung cancer in memory of her mother, Joy Wells. Her mother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer on May 10, 2004, and passed away on July 6, 2005, 14 months after her diagnosis and one month before Miller gave birth to her daughter, Lucy Joy, her mother?s first grandchild.

?I was reading an article in Athens Magazine about a friend and turned the page to see Mrs. Georgia, Tiffany Hudak, and an article about her platform, lung cancer awareness,? Miller said. ?I immediately contacted her and said I want to team up with you and we have been doing this ever since.?

Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of lung cancer, but people that do not smoke can get lung cancer as well, according to the American Cancer Society.

Some of the causes for lung cancer in non-smokers include exposure to radon, which accounts for about 20,000 cases of lung cancer each year, and exposure to secondhand smoke. Workplace exposures to asbestos, diesel exhaust or certain other chemicals also can cause lung cancers in some people who do not smoke.

?I want people to know that anyone can get lung cancer. If you have lungs, you can get it,? Miller said. ?Lung cancer claims more lives each year than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined, but no one is talking about it. There is a terrible stigma associated with lung cancer that we battle every day. My mom did not smoke, but it really doesn?t matter ? no one deserves lung cancer.?

In addition to raising awareness about lung cancer, Miller also works to raise money because of the lack of research dollars that are given to the disease each year.

?After my mom?s diagnosis, I was astonished at the poor prognosis for lung cancer patients, and much of that is due to the lack of funding for research and awareness,? she said.

Free to Breathe Athens already has surpassed its goal for 2012 to raise $35,000. As a result, the goal has been raised to $50,000.

Free to Breathe Athens has raised $100,000 in the last five years.

The National Lung Cancer Partnership started the Free to Breathe event series with a single 5K run and walk in Philadelphia in 2006. Since then, the event series has raised more than $5.6 million with 100 percent of the net proceeds directly funding programs to help everyone affected by lung cancer.

?The National Lung Cancer Partnership, along with the Free to Breathe event series, is changing the face of lung cancer, and I am ecstatic to be a part of it,? Miller said.

This year?s event will start with a group warm-up from Tribe Fitness and will end with guest speakers Allison Tackett, a 27-year-old survivor currently living with stage IV lung cancer, and her oncologist from Northeast Georgia Cancer Care, Dr. Cynthia Shepherd.

There also will be door prizes, long sleeve T-shirts for all preregistered participants, top fundraising awards for individuals and team, and a team T-shirt contest.

?It is going to be the best event thus far,? Miller said.

Over the last five years, the feedback that Miller and Hudak have received about the 5K has been positive, and both leaders take into consideration suggestions to make the next event more successful than the last. But the best feedback comes from the family members of people who lost their battle with lung cancer or from survivors that look forward to the event each year and create a team in honor or in memory of someone they love.

?They are the reason we do this and why we are making a difference,? Miller said.

The Free to Breathe Athens 5K and 1-mile run begins at 7 a.m. Saturday. The cost is $25. To register, visit www.FreetoBreathe.org/athens.

Source: http://onlineathens.com/health/2012-11-05/5k-raises-funds-help-lung-cancer-prevention

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