Local lung cancer survivors take part in nationwide awareness event

For the first time, the Penrose Cancer Center of Colorado Springs along with the Lung Cancer Alliance joined 200 other communities around the country to host a Shine a Light on Lung Cancer event.

The event is part of a national campaign to bring awareness to the leading cause of cancer deaths. Lung cancer is responsible for more deaths than all other cancers combined.

A small group of lung cancer patients, families and health-care professionals gathered in a Penrose Cancer Center conference room Thursday night to learn more about the disease and take part in a flashlight lighting ceremony to honor survivors and those lost.

“We cannot cure every lung cancer,” said Dr. Alain Eid, a pulmonologist at Penrose. “But we sure can impact every lung cancer. We can help every lung cancer.”

Smoking accounts for about 90 percent of all lung cancer cases. Because of that, doctors and patients say there is a stigma associated with having the disease. But awareness advocates hope to open more eyes to the disease and remind people that no one deserves to die.

Though it’s the leading cause, not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer and not everyone with lung cancer smokes.

Martin Kuhn, a non-smoker, learned that the hard way in April, 2012.

“The only symptom I had was a dry cough,” he said. “That was it. A dry cough that wouldn’t go away. I didn’t feel bad.”

It took some time to diagnose, but Kuhn found out he had lung cancer. More than two years later, after dozens of rounds of chemotherapy and the discovery of a genetic mutation, he has stage four lung cancer.

“Shocked,” Kuhn said. “You do a lot of praying at that time. It’s emotional because of what one goes through and what it puts on your family as well.”

Kuhn said he was glad to see Colorado Springs taking part in a nationwide awareness event.

“We don’t have the NFL,” he said. “We don’t have athletes with the pink shoes on, pink towels. We just have ourselves.”

Kuhn said he is fighting to continue his battle against lung cancer and despite his diagnosis has a positive outlook on life.

“After five years, if you have stage four lung cancer, only 5 percent are still alive,” he said. “But I look at it this way. Somebody’s gotta be in the 5 percent. Why not me?”