Faces of Lung Cancer Video Series
A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation is proud to present a new video series: The Faces of Lung Cancer. The series features 16 individuals that are living with lung cancer, sharing their stories and advocating for greater understanding around this disease. There are three main videos; Women and Lung Cancer; Stop the Stigma; and What You Should Know About Lung Cancer. Individual videos of each participant will be added as they are completed.
Women and Lung Cancer
The first video in the series showcases 11, nonsmoking, Minnesota women that have been diagnosed with lung cancer. This video hits home with a powerful message for women.
Stop the Stigma
The smoking stigma tied to lung cancer slows the progress in early detection and funding for research. Help us spread the truth and shine a light on this inaccurate and unkind stigma.
What You Should Know About Lung Cancer
More research, more awareness and expanded screening guidelines will lead to earlier detection and more lives saved.
Individual: Katherine Bensen
Katherine Bensen, a nonsmoker, was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer at 40 years old.
Individual: Chelsi Terwey
After being diagnosed with pneumonia, Chelsi, a never-smoker, didn’t think that it could (and would) turn out to be lung cancer.
Individual: Stuart Brown
Stuart had his world turned upside-down with a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. Research and clinical trials give lung cancer patients, like Stuart, a fighting chance.
Individual: Julie Everling
Julie was a 47-year-old nonsmoker when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She talks about how the smoking stigma affects lung cancer survivors.
Individual: Jenni Dyrdahl
Jenni had been dealing with pain for years. It was a total shock when she was told her hip pain was caused by stage 4 lung cancer.
Individual: Renee Marrero
Renee was diagnosed after her father and sister were both diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. She’s fighting to expand lung cancer screening criteria.
Individual: Steve Link
Steve’s lung cancer was found after fracturing some ribs on vacation but he believes, “you shouldn’t have to get lucky to get your diagnosis.”
Individual: Curt Anderson
After learning more about lung cancer, and how few Americans are screened, Curt became an advocate screening.
Individual: Gary Brausen
Gary was shocked to be diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer at age 50 as a never-smoker.
Individual: Bonnie Mueller
Bonnie was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Biomarker testing came back with a ROS1 gene mutation – making her eligible for a clinical trial.
Individual: Julie Swedberg
Since filming, Julie is now on her fourth line of treatment, a Phase I (first-in-human) clinical trial at the Mayo Clinic.
Individual: MJ McKeon
MJ is one of the A Breath of Hope founders and wants everyone to know – if you have lungs, you can have lung cancer.
Individual: Lori Shipman
Lori, like many, was misdiagnosed for months before her lung cancer was found. She hopes to empower others to trust their instincts and listen to their bodies.
Individual: Michelle Gydesen
Michelle was diagnosed at age 32 with lung cancer and has felt the smoking stigma firsthand and knows how it slows progress.
Individual: Linda Machmeier
Linda brought light wherever she went. Despite the ups and downs of her lung cancer journey, she fought for others and stayed positive. She is greatly missed.
Videos shot and produced by:
Video participant’s hair and makeup provided by:
