THE PATIENT VOICE

Welcome to Issue 4!

We recently learned that one of our Patients Rising family has passed away, lung cancer advocate Karen Loss. Karen made several advocacy videos; some with Patients Rising. She had real determination to help others but with a genuine warmth and kindness, all of which she carried off with natural grace. Karen will be sorely missed. 

Here is some of what Karen said in an interview with Good Morning Washington:

‘I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. I'm a lifelong nonsmoker as are close to twenty percent of the folks who are diagnosed with lung cancer and upwards of thirty percent of women who are diagnosed.

We are aware of the connection with smoking and lung cancer but there are tens of thousands of people throughout the country who are non-smokers who are also diagnosed and it's important that people realize that.

A lot of women deal with lung cancer and we want people not only to be aware but to become more educated. There's a terrible stigma that attaches to this disease because people think that only smokers get it and so ‘bring it on themselves’ which is not really fair to anyone dealing with lung cancer whether or not they smoked. Everyone deserves care and compassion with this disease.’ 

A cancer diagnosis, like many chronic illnesses, definitely changes you. But Karen showed us, you get to choose what some of those changes will be. 

-- Terry