Before Mom’s diagnosis in 2001, I had always associated lung cancer with smoking. Like most people, I believed that you were protected from the disease if you didn't smoke. Mom never smoked a day in her life. She didn’t live with smokers. She didn’t work with smokers. She didn't socialize in smoke-filled environments. So how could she suddenly get lung cancer at the still young age of 53?

With Mom's shocking diagnosis, my family and I were forced to reckon with a little-discussed fact: Everyone is susceptible to lung cancer – whether you’re a smoker, a former smoker, or a never-smoker. If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer.  

So please join me in raising funds for Lung Cancer Connection, a group that didn’t exist during my mom’s lifetime but would undoubtedly have made her cancer journey a little easier. Your contributions to Lung Cancer Connection will help foster a community of support, education, research, and hope for thousands of St. Louisans who are courageously fighting to survive this disease.

Thank you for caring! Thank you for your support! -- Rita