Why We Climb

My name is Gregg Landris, and this is why I make Every Step Count

Unfortunately, I know so much about this silent killer because I lost my wife of 35 years on April 9, 2018 to Lung Cancer.

My wife, Nancy, was diagnosed stage 4 lung cancer in 2012. This diagnosis came four months after receiving a clean bill of health following her annual physical, there were no symptoms of the cancer. The only way we were able to find out she had lung cancer was because she had a small bump in her neck. The bump was a lymph node that was infected with cancer. Had Nancy done a lung x-ray as part of her annual physical, the cancer may have been discovered while still in the lung. Once it leaves the lung it is most likely a terminal illness it can be cured if caught before leaving the lungs.

Nancy fought a courageous battle for over six years, overcoming, chemo pills, radiation, three collapsed lungs, brain surgery and full brain radiation, yet when you met her you would never know she was sick, she was always cheerful and smiling, never gave into the cancer. She passed during a medical procedure while under anesthesia, I thank god that she passed peacefully. Only 5% of lung cancer patients diagnosed stage 4 survive five years or longer. She was a fighter.

My three sons and I miss her dearly. But we have an opportunity to carry on her legacy and turn a dark story into a bright story. Screening is critical, whether you are a smoker or not. The statistics are staggering, I can go on and on. Educate yourself and discuss screening with your doctor just as you would with prostate, breast or colon cancer. Remember, 1/3 of lung cancer patients never smoked, that's 50k people per year, not to mention all of those living with lung cancer. Lung Cancer is the number 1 killer of all Cancers, it kills more people that Breast, Colon and Prostate Cancer combined.

My name is Lora Dal Bo, and this is why I make Every Step Count

A phone call.

One simple phone call I made nine years ago saved my life and allows me to write this today.

Having lived a healthy life for many years with only minor issues, I didn’t think much of it when I started experiencing a little shortness of breath and some other small symptoms. I had just returned from a trip, so I assumed I had caught a cold or flu on the plane. And, when the symptoms continued and even worsened after a few months, I tried to explain it away as simply a natural side effect of regularly working with people who were often around children of course I couldn’t shake the bug I was sure I caught.

After numerous friends and colleagues refused to let me simply ignore these symptoms or accept my “easy explanations,” any longer, I finally called a local clinic. It didn’t take them long to convince me that, indeed, I should take this seriously.

Within two hours I was in their facility and undergoing a chest x-ray. Within another two hours I had checked in to a local hospital so they could monitor me for what the x-rays showed was an “eggplant sized tumor” on my lungs. That phone call got me into all this, and now I was told that if I didn’t listen to their advice, I may very well die that very weekend! That one phone call.

Even with the news of an impending surgery, I couldn’t grasp the magnitude of the situation. I confidently called my office and let them know that I’d have to be out for a few days for a procedure. Nearly a full month later, I left that hospital after having a tumor attached to the lower left lobe of my lung removed. The mass was so large that it moved my heart to the right side of my chest and had begun to cut off my blood supply.

The result of that single call was that my life was saved, and I was so thankful for that.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the last such call I was to have. Just about a year after my surgery, I received a call telling me that my father was diagnosed with lung cancer and was going in for surgery as well. Having never smoked a day in his life and never having any serious lung diseases previously, it was another great surprise, and, thankfully, another life saved due to quick action by excellent surgeons and staff.

I knew my father and I were lucky, but I also knew that millions of others would not be so fortunate if they weren’t informed or didn’t take action, so this past year I joined the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE Walk event. Upon doing so, I met a team captain who encouraged me to become more active with the organization, and when I did, I knew that I belonged.

Today, I am on a planning committee for the next LUNG FORCE Walk, working to promote the fun Fight For Air Climb in the spring, and asking each of you who read this to join me to help end the number one cancer killer in the country lung cancer.

I read a simple quote on the Lung Association’s Lung.org website that said, “when you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.” And it hit me, nothing could be truer. And it’s not just lung cancer that they are working to end, it’s asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis and other lung diseases. They also advocate for cleaner air, an end to smoking and vaping and so many other healthy steps we can take to make Arizona and our world a healthier place.

Please join me at one of these fun events this year, it’s a wonderful investment in a cause that saves lives. And, best of all, they’re only one click, or one simple phone call, away.