Kelcey Harrison Runs Cross-Country To Raise Lung Cancer Awareness And Funds

Did you know that Lung Cancer kills more people than breast, colon, liver, melanoma and kidney cancers combined? Kelcey Harrison knows - she lost a good friend to the disease two years ago and is on a mission to raise awareness and money to help find a cure for this #1 cancer killer. How does she plan to do this? She's running from New York to San Francisco and she'll be tweeting as she goes. Jillian Costello lost her battle with lung cancer two years ago, at the age of 22. She was not a smoker, in fact - and this should scare you - "She was the 2010 PAC-10 Women’s Athlete of the year and had the brains to match. This was a diagnosis that no one could have ever predicted, but, as we all found out, ANYONE can get lung cancer." Most shocking of all? The survival rate of lung cancer has not changed in over 40 years. It is still only 15.5%. And although Lung Cancer is the biggest cancer killer, it is the least funded. Why? The stigma attached to it, presumably. People figure Lung Cancer is caused by smoking and is therefore preventable. Jillian Costello's friend, 23 year old San Francisco native, Kelcey Harrison, is out to change that misconception. How? She's running 3,500 miles from New York to San Francisco and her run kicks off this Sunday, July 29, 2012. She will run approximately 30 miles per day until she reaches San Francisco in November. Kelcey & Jillian in 2008 Kelcey hopes to address the "unfair stigma facing lung cancer patients today" by drawing attention to the unpredictable disease. In her own words "This run is, hopefully, my way of changing our ideas about lung cancer and to make a positive impact on research and awareness." I am doing this run to honor my friend, Jill Costello, for the life that she lived and those that she changed. I will forever be grateful to and in awe of her. Perhaps this is just one small way that I can make a difference in this world, in someone’s life, and to make her proud. So what are you waiting for? She's already raised more than 100k, but that's not even half of her goal. Your donation will go to the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, and Jill’s Legacy for Lung Cancer research. And if you can't donate - spread the word because there are lots of folks out there who can! (Kelcey picture from TheGreatLungRun.com)

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Kelcey Harrison Runs Cross-Country To Raise Lung Cancer Awareness And Funds

Mary C. Long

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Mary C. Long