Lung cancer killed her mother in December 2008 and now local resident Julie Drobny is on a mission.
Drobny appeared on Q13 Fox News this morning to talk about the Free to Breathe event on September 18 in Tacoma, Washington.
Drobny, a 30 year Boeing employee, spoke passionately about her mom, Judy, who was diagnosed at age 66 with stage 4 lung cancer.
A non-smoker, Judy had just retired and was looking forward to many years enjoying the good life.
Instead she spent the next four years traveling from her home in Graham to Seattle for cancer treatments.
“It was tough to watch my mom take on this fight,” said Drobny. “She was always looking for a cure.”
The National Lung Cancer Partnership website says that lung cancer is the most underfunded cancer in comparison to other cancers, killing more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.
Lung cancer kills approximately 160,000 people in the U.S. every year and 85% of people diagnosed with lung cancer will die within five years of their diagnosis.
Drobny said the first thing her family did upon hearing of her mother’s diagnosis was to reach out for more information. “We felt as if it was a death sentence,” she said.
She said the National Lung Cancer Partnership organization is all about advocacy and providing information and funding for lung cancer.
Many people diagnosed with lung cancer stay in the shadows due to the stigma involved said Drobny, adding, “If you have been diagnosed with lung cancer, don’t give up hope. Changes are being made every day. Get up and make the most of every single day.”
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