From Patient to Advocate: Maida's Mission to Raise Lung Cancer Awareness

Radonova met Maida earlier this year during an event for The White Ribbon Project. Maida had been tirelessly working to bring The White Ribbon Project to the Chicago area. She had coordinated with her local network to source the raw materials and organized having over 50 ribbons cut and ready for finishing. Radonova joined forces with her to host the event where over 100 white ribbons were built and then distributed to lung cancer survivors and radon professionals throughout Illinois to increase lung cancer awareness.

Maida’s lung cancer journey began just as she had finally quit a lifetime of smoking and began to “cough, and cough and cough." She went to immediate care for cough medicine where they took a chest X-ray, then sent her to her primary care physician who sent her for an MRI, who then sent her to an oncologist.

A lung cancer diagnosis is frightening for anyone. More people die each year from lung cancer than colon, breast, and prostate cancer combined.

According to the American Cancer Society:

• 234,580 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
• 125,070 Americans will lose their life to lung cancer this year

The Canadian Cancer Society reports:

• 32,100 Canadians will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
• 20,700 Canadians will lose their life to lung cancer this year

Lung cancer causes

“When I blamed myself for smoking, my oncologist said there is no proof smoking caused my cancer,” says Maida. “Since becoming an advocate, I now understand there are many environmental causes of lung cancer.”

Most people know that smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. But many don’t know that radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer and the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas. It is naturally occurring and caused by the breakdown of radioactive elements in soil and rocks. Other causes of lung cancer include hazardous chemicals, air pollution, and genetics.

“While I was aware of radon possibly existing in my home, we hadn't tested for it in too many years. I also had not known just how dangerous it is to our lungs,” says Maida. “We now test for radon every 4-5 years. So far, our house is safe. But I speak to people often, urging them to test their homes. Many haven’t thought about it before.”

Lung cancer treatment

Maida’s lung cancer treatment had a few surprises.“During chemotherapy, I lost my hair (it grows back, nothing frightening about that), and quite a bit of weight. What surprised me is that that I lost my appetite, even for foods I previously loved. So, my husband and I had to find food I would eat. To supplement, I used calorie boosting drinks – and an occasional donut helped! Six years later, I have gained more weight than I expected, and would like to lose a few pounds!”

Maida’s message now

Maida’s message is simple. “Whether you are a smoker, never-smoker, or a smoker who quit years ago, ask your physician if you qualify for a low dose CT chest scan. Quite often, the beginning of a tumor is undetectable with X-rays. Screening prolongs lives.”

According to the American Lung Association, low dose cancer screening can reduce mortality for those at high risk. If lung cancer is detected early before it spreads, the “likelihood of surviving more than 5 years improves to 63%.” The American Lung Association also offers a Lung Cancer Screening Quiz on their website for people to determine if they qualify for early screening.

Maida also wants people to know, “Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer. And get a radon testing kit! Radon remediation is easy.” Thanks Maida! We agree! 😊