Evan L., ME

In December 1995, just before the holidays, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. This was not the news any of us had expected—she was only 59 years old and had gone to the doctor to investigate a chronic cough.

I had just turned 34, was a single dad to an active 8-year-old son, and struggled to come to grips with the fact that my mom had just been given what felt like a death sentence. She had been my rock for the past six years following my divorce, and I relied on her deeply. I couldn’t fathom how our family would function without her. My parents had three adult children and 10 grandchildren at the time. She was the matriarch who kept everything in perfect harmony.

Even though her prognosis was bleak, she was determined to fight with everything she had. I recall her going through aggressive treatments—becoming sick, losing her hair, and shedding weight she couldn’t afford to lose. She was fitted for a wig and began walking with a cane, yet she never lost her dignity or will to live. She continued to care for others, even on days when she had very little energy.

She put up a hell of a fight, and we celebrated her 60th birthday in June 1996. She put on a brave front, but we could all see the toll the disease and treatments had taken. We wished there was something more that could be done, but her doctors told us they had exhausted all possible treatments.

My mom passed away the following month—just seven months after her diagnosis. I can still picture how frail and thin she was in that hospital bed, a shell of the vibrant woman she once was.

Sadly, none of today’s treatment options existed then, or her outcome might have been very different. The breakthroughs made in the years since her passing have been truly remarkable, helping so many people battling this disease. Thanks to the work of the National Institutes of Health, the American Lung Association, and others, lung disease can now be treated more successfully.

We must do everything in our power to prevent other families from experiencing the devastating loss that lung cancer brings. In my home state of Maine, I began supporting the Lung Association by participating in the Trek Across Maine, its largest annual fundraising event. I have ridden in the Trek every year for the past 28 years in my mom’s memory. My son has joined me for the last 25 years, and my brother for the last 12. We all ride to honor her.