Amy B., VT

My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020. Since 80-90% of lung cancers are believed to be associated with tobacco, and my dad was a lifelong smoker, I wasn’t surprised, but I was angry. And I felt immense guilt. You see, I have worked in tobacco control since 2000 after earning my Master’s in Public Health. I also work for our community hospital to help facilitate our cancer committee. Between helping to advocate for systems that help people quit, preventing tobacco addiction in the first place, and trying to increase lung cancer screenings, I was doing all I could for my community—but I failed my own family. I doubt my dad ever had a LDCT lung cancer screening. I’m not sure he even knew about it.

Despite what I knew, I didn’t succeed in helping my dad quit in time to prevent lung cancer or get screened. And although his cancer treatments were able to shrink his very large tumor, they couldn’t remove it entirely. He passed away from a combination of lung cancer and Alzheimer’s in September 2023.

Since then, I’ve made a commitment to his partner of 25 years, my mom (who quit smoking in 1993), and my two children to continue doing everything in my power to prevent others from getting lung cancer. That’s why I share our story. Although smoking rates are on the decline, they’re not zero. And as young people begin their addiction with vapes instead of cigarettes, many are transitioning to cigarettes as a way to quit vaping. We need to prevent nicotine addiction in the first place, and society needs to support each person addicted to nicotine to quit for good, while increasing annual screenings.

I coordinate a community tobacco prevention coalition in Franklin and Grand Isle counties in northwest Vermont. I am its sole employee, and I do all I can; however, it’s not enough. States and local communities have more work to do, and the funding provided by the CDC is essential in reaching more people with the strategies, laws, and support we know work.

National programs funded through the CDC, like the hard-hitting and effective “Tips from Former Smokers,” CDC funding for statewide programs like Vermont’s Comprehensive Tobacco Program, and promoting and normalizing screening programs need to be invested in at higher levels. That would go a long way in protecting our communities from disease and death—especially lung cancer. Until that point, we continue to be vastly outmatched by the tobacco and vape industry, and my work remains an uphill battle.