Day 2 Joan Fong - LC Facts by Ron Fong

I have taken the facts that Ron Fong posted about his late wife Joan.  I met the two at a LUNGevity summit.  They both praised me for speaking up about my faith and religion. 

A few months later, I went out to California and saw them at one of the Bonnie Addario Living Room Broadcasts.  It was live, and I was sitting across from them.  They had informed me earlier that Joan would be going to hospice.  Joan didn't look scared, she looked relieved.  When they left in the middle of the broadcast because she wasn't feeling well, I immediately messaged Ron.  I wanted so badly to hug her goodbye.

His response was, "Joan said she'll see you on the other side."  I never saw her again.  So, my blog today is taken straight from Ron's page.  I'm sharing the facts....  Thank you Ron for all you do to continue your advocacy efforts.  I hope you all will share

"LUNG CANCER is a KILLER

* Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer in America. (~160,000)
* Lung cancer kills more than the next 4 deadliest cancers combined.
* Lung cancer is the #1 killer of women and has been since 1987. LC is a women's disease far more than breast cancer.
* Joan Fong died at age 59 after 45 months of diagnosis.
* Lung cancer is a killer.

EVERY DAY in AMERICA

* 91 people die from opioids.
* 112 dies from breast cancer
* 433 people die from lung cancer

* last year in 2017 November 2 there was a #433aday rally talking about this national emergency, of a B747 full of people dying everyday and what are we doing to solve this?

IF YOU HAVE LUNGS, THEN YOU CAN GET LUNG CANCER

* Joan Fong never smoked. Yet she got lung cancer.
20% of lung cancer patients never smoked.
40% are former smokers.
Only 40% are current smokers.
* Smoking causes many diseases, not just lung cancer.
* LC can be caused by genetic mutations, radon, pollution & smoking.
* This perception that you did this to yourself because you smoked is a stigma affecting survival.
* If you have lungs, then you can get lung cancer

RESEARCH DOLLARS ARE NEEDED

* What is the early detection of lung cancer?
There really isn't any.
Research needs to find an easy and cheap way to do this.
It's hard to squeeze the lungs to see if there is a lump

* Because there is no early detection, 50% die within one year
Research needs to find early easy affordable detection

* Federal research dollars per death
* Lung Cancer $ ~2 thousand
* Breast Cancer $ ~26 thousand
Yet LC kills 2x the number of BC patients.

* Research Dollars are needed.

SURVIVAL

5 YEAR survival rates are
* 18% for all stage of lung cancer
* 5% for stage IV advanced metastatic lung cancer
Joan Fong was Stage IV
* 89% for all stages of breast cancer

Survival rates are improving for lung cancer dramatically over the last five years as scientists unravel targeted precision medicine against cancer mutations. Stage IV leaped from 4% survival at 5-years to 5%.

Mutant Joan Fong took targeted medicines. She benefited from research that discovered East Asian female never-smokers have a 60% chance of a targetable mutation (EGFR) that there is a drug for that will kill the bad hombre cells and leave the good hombre cells alone. Chemo kills the good and bad indiscriminately. Research is wonderful.

Immunotherapy, as advertised on TV, is a miracle drug for everyone. It did not work for Joan. Why? It is because research in understanding why I/O works at all is lacking. Be wise and help advocate for LC research.

Joan Fong had an outstanding 45 months of living the life compressed after diagnosis. She outlived the statistics of an 8-month survival. We laughed We loved We lived Rejoicing in the Lord always! and Praising God! (www.caringbridge.org/visit/joanfong for our journey)

Nobody deserves cancer.

There can be no new treatments for survival without research.

There can be no research without funding.

There can be no funding without advocacy.

And there can be no advocacy without awareness.

Help me raise the awareness, and provide hope for survival!

Nobody deserves lung cancer.

#noonedeservestodiefromlungcancer #endthestigma
#LCSM #LCAM #NoStigma #433aday #LCisaNationalEmergency#beatlungcancer #YNSITC" - Ron Fong

So,please, continue your prayers for the families and friends of the 433 that pass away a day from this disease in the United States alone.  And thank you for your continuous prayers for my family and me.  I cannot begin to describe how much they mean.  And Joan, I'll see you on the other side.

The last day I saw Joan