Lung Cancer Awareness Month's campaign and mission include advocating for people with lung cancer annually for one month of programs, activities, and awareness campaigns. Whether through online or in-person events, people worldwide mark the date by wearing specific lung cancer awareness colors.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- What is Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
- When is Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
- What Are the Ribbon Colors of Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
- How Do People Acknowledge Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
Keep reading learn more about the history of lung cancer advocacy, including the programs and ways you can help bring awareness to this disease.
What Is Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
Lung Cancer Awareness Month’s mission is to advocate for patients, family members, advocates, and researchers alike. With various events online and in-person, you’re helping nonprofits and researchers advocate for better support and community awareness.
When Is Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
The Month of November is the primary month for awareness campaigns and to support increased Lung Cancer research.
But May offers another month where people can join the group LUNG FORCE to advocate for women’s lung health in particular.
What Are the Ribbon Colors of Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
You have two options! If you’re supporting advocacy for Lung Cancer Awareness in November, you’ll be wearing either white or pearl-colored ribbons.
Otherwise, if you’re joining forces to advocate for lung health in May, then your ribbon color will be turquoise.
How Do People Acknowledge Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
Various campaigns and days of advocacy surround Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Whether through active participation, donations, or spreading the word through different social media platforms, each of the victims, families, friends, and advocates can find an opportunity that suits their contribution abilities.
Check out a podcast
One popular medium to help people living with lung cancer, family members, advocates, and researchers is Podcasts. Here are a few that may interest you:
- Lung Cancer Update with Dr. Neil Love is an advanced Podcast for researchers and fellows interested in staying up-to-date with medicine’s latest advances.
- Lung Cancer Voices is a Canadian charitable foundation with a mission to make the conversations about lung cancer more available to victims and advocates alike.
- Hope with Answers: Living with Lung Cancer is brought to you by the Lung Cancer Foundation of America, whose ambition is to help you navigate your journey from diagnosis and beyond.
- Blake Kasemeier hosts Good Grief. Blake’s mom died from lung cancer, so he knows firsthand how it feels to lose a loved one. His podcast involves interviews, anecdotes, and some relevant cultural topics.
- Mommy Had a Little Cancer is about two women who both faced different kinds of cancers. One had breast cancer while the other had lung cancer.
Add a frame to your profile picture
LUNG FORCE is the American Lung Association's advocacy program. Advocating for them is as easy as setting up a profile picture frame on your social media page. Your profile picture won't change, but a banner will sit over the top of it, showing your support for this cause.
Click here to find out how.
Share #LivingWithLungCancer stories
Read, write, or compose some cancer poetry and share it under this hashtag, which collects accounts from people who’ve been diagnosed with lung cancer. Learn how faith, inspiration, love, and hope impact their stories and how these survivors advocate for people living with lung cancer everywhere.
Read personal stories of survival and hope
Loved ones, family members, and cancer survivors may appreciate reading through some personal stories of survival. Here are a few cancer books we've discovered that are well-written and inspiring. The books may help guide your journey from the diagnosis forward for those living with cancer. Here are a few:
- Both Sides Now by Ruth Pennebaker
- The Year My Mother Was Bald by Ann Speltz
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, MD
- Read our full When Breath Becomes Air review for more
- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande, MD
- Read our full Being Mortal review for more
Lung cancer virtual meetup
Virtual meetings and conferences enable people to gather online from all over the world.
Join an online event versus attending an in-person conference to learn about trends, resources, and research, listen to exhibitors, and share resources with people all from the comfort of your own home.
Understand the impact near you
Various ethnic groups locally and nationally experience unequal support and treatment. By clicking on this link, you’ll discover the disparities in “incidence, survival, early diagnosis, surgical treatment, lack of treatment, and screening rates.”
When ready, sign the petition located near the bottom of the page to advocate for reform and resolve gaps in healthcare access and options for all people.
Get a memorial tattoo
Simple cancer memorial tattoos are a great way to honor lost loved ones, especially if it’s your first time getting one. For you first-timers and anyone who needs a refresher, here are some helpful pointers:
- Research the tattoo artist. Generally, they’ll have an online portfolio of some of their past work, which will give you an idea of what style of art they do well.
- Order a temporary press-on tattoo first. Search your favorite online marketplace for a similar tattoo—and buy a few of them. This way, you can try out the tattoo in a few locations before committing to the ink.
- Browse the Internet for an online pain chart if you’re intimidated about how much it’ll hurt.
- Talk with the artist before you make an appointment. You’ll be sitting in their tattoo chair for a few hours, so getting to know your environment beforehand is super helpful.
“30 Days 30 Heroes”
The American Lung Association invites everyone to join their annual digital fundraising campaign, where they feature the stories of "30 Heroes" on their Facebook and Instagram pages for "30 Days."
After watching each of their stories, the American Lung Association hopes that you'll spread these harrowing and personal accounts to your networks.
If everyone did this, they could increase research, awareness, and support for cancer patients.
Join the registry
Knowledge drives improved diagnosis, treatment, patient care, and advocacy. Join the registry and they'll email you the latest information so you can spread the word and work of researchers and advocates everywhere.
Donate
There are more ways than one to make your American Cancer Society donation count! Even if you don’t have cash on hand, take a look at the options you have to make donations that support lung cancer victims and research.
- For information about the Lung Saver Foundation and how you can help, watch this video.
- Leave a legacy gift for the GO2 Foundation through your will or trust, retirement account, life insurance plan, real estate, or through a donor advised fund.
- Give the gift of stock from your portfolio.
- Create a tribute page in the loving memory of a friend or family member.
- Donate cryptocurrency to the GO2 Foundation and reduce your capital gains taxes.
- Set up an employer-giving fund through your workplace.
- Start a fundraiser with an athletic event, painting parties, or wine tasting events.
- Gift directly from your IRA if you don’t need to take the money and qualify to do so.
- Sign up and shop through Cellar Angels, iGive.com, or Amazon Smile for whatever you need.
- Donate your vehicle as long as it’s in working condition.
- Enter a walking or running event nearby.
- Join a GO2 Foundation signature event.
- Or make a financial contribution directly to LUNG FORCE, enabling the American Lung Association’s mission to advocate for friends and loved ones who this deadly disease has impacted.
For a list of other charities and nonprofits dedicated to supporting lung cancer victim advocacy and clinical research, click here.
Advocate and raise awareness
Become an ambassador and raise awareness. These are just a few ways you can do that:
- Advocate from home by sending messages to Congress and your local newspaper.
- Set-up a meeting with your local or state legislative representative.
- Attend and speak at the annual Lung Cancer Voices Summit.
Nominate a storyteller
The Rays of Hope Award was first established to honor Richard Heimler. The award is presented annually to caregivers, survivors, friends, and advocates—a storyteller—based on the criteria of exhibiting leadership and creating inspiration that advance the cause through noteworthy achievements.
Become a phone buddy
Here’s a great way that you can support others who’ve been diagnosed with lung cancer. Each month, you agree to commit between 1-3 hours as a volunteer phone buddy. You’ll be connected with someone in search of a peer to offer support and guidance.
A short orientation and guide will help you understand how to be a phone buddy.
Lung Cancer Advocacy, Research, and Support
Although one of the biggest killers, data shows that lung cancer receives far less funding than other known cancers.
Through your financial support and personal advocacy for people with lung cancer, it’s possible to see an increase in this funding so that remarkable changes happen to benefit those who’ve been diagnosed with the disease.
Sources:
- American Lung Association. American Lung Association, Lung Force, www.lung.org/lung-force/about-lung-force/featured-campaigns/lung-cancer-awareness-month
- Lung Cancer Alliance. Lung Cancer Alliance, n.d., www.noonedeservestodie.org
- “Lung Cancer Awareness Month.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 November 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBviPprENSM
- Lung Cancer Foundation of America. Lung Cancer Foundation of America, LCFA, 2021, www.lcfamerica.org/get-involved/november-lung-cancer-awareness-month