My father was diagnosed with  lung cancer in February of 2011.  Just a little background - He was diagnosed with the cancer being a stage 2 and they said it could not be operated on.  I will say that it has been a battle for him over the last few months and we are hoping now that treatment is over he can start enjoying life again.  He went though lots of chemotherapy treatment and some radiation.  The treatments took a lot out of him and we currently don't know how he will feel day to day.   He has been told that they can't completely rid his body of the cancer, but we are hoping the treatment has put it into remission.  I will go ahead and answer one question because it always seems to come up when someone has lung cancer. . . . .   Did he smoke?  Yes he did.  However, after I found out my dad had lung cancer I started to look into the causes of lung cancer.  I was amazed to find out that there are a number of cases of lung cancer that have been diagnosed where the person with lung cancer never even smoked.  

 

Lung Cancer along with any kind of cancer can turn a persons life completely upside down.  Not only for the patient, but also for their family.  My mom has tried to stay strong throughout this and it is very hard on her too sometimes when he is having a difficult day.  We hope every day will get better for my dad and I hope that for all Lung Cancer Patients  that there will one day be a cure.  Unfortunately, lung cancer is one of the least funded cancers as far as research goes.  Maybe someday in my lifetime or my kids lifetimes they will come up with a way to rid the world of lung cancer.

 

Although dealing with someone so close to me battling lung cancer has been difficult, I am very thankful that it has shown me the reality.  I was a smoker on and off for 10 years and have not touched a cigarette since the day I found out that my father had lung cancer.  Hopefully, by raising awareness about lung cancer it will lead to more research for all people suffering from this!  That was my goal by sharing my father's story with you. 

 

What do you think can be done to raise more awareness about lung cancer?