“Shine a Light on Lung Cancer” is a free interactive awareness event that will feature vendors, experts on lung issues, free food, special cocktails from The Market Bar, a mega lung display and more from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18 at COHatch, 101 S. Fountain Ave.
Neravetla will also lead a free lunch and learn on lung cancer awareness at noon Thursday at COHatch. Lung screenings were also done here and in Urbana earlier this month.
While other forms of cancer are often given more publicity, lung cancer remains the deadliest, accounting for 25 percent of overall cancer deaths. That’s why Neravetla is focused on its messaging, which is often stereotyped.
“There’s a lot people don’t know,” she said. “More people die from lung cancer than breast, colon and prostate combined. But patients get stigmatized and we want to change that messaging.”
Smoking accounts for 85-90 percent of lung cancer cases, but that sometimes results in an attitude that the people who chose to smoke put themselves in that position.
“That’s not appropriate. At the end of the day, nobody deserves lung cancer,” she said.
The key is building awareness and catching the disease in early stages. Screening rates for lung cancer are under 10 percent. Those who have either quit smoking in the previous 15 years or are still smoking should get screenings annually.
While most cases come from regular cigarettes, the rise of vaping and e-cigarettes also plays in, although Neravetla said there isn’t enough data yet to show those full effects. What is clear is the need to screen more as an estimated two-thirds of lung cancer cases are caught at an advanced stage.
Ohio is particularly bad, ranking above the national average for lung cancer rates, likely due to increased smoking. A number of factors from lifestyle, income, profession and family history are responsible.
Neravetla is leading the charge to increase the messaging and awareness, more partnering, possibly having white symbols to match the breast cancer pink ribbons and wearing white in support of lung cancer awareness.
Thursday’s event will feature a celebration of lung cancer survivors.
Having a new lung cancer care coordinator at the Mercy Health Springfield Cancer Center is a big step in the fight. Neravetla encourages people who know those who smoke to get screened or talk to people about awareness and can wear white to support the cause or spread the word on social media.
While “Shine a Light” was at the cancer center previously, Neravetla wants this to broaden the awareness and get others to take the illness more seriously and the public is invited to not just learn about the disease but also have a fun night out.
“The more avenues we have, the more we can do to beat this disease,” she said.
For more information, contact the Mercy Health Springfield Cancer Center.
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