Radonova Welcomes The White Ribbon Project
Founders of The White Ribbon Project, Heidi and Pierre Onda, are changing the lung cancer story one white ribbon at a time
Radonova recently had the opportunity to host a white ribbon “build” event at our Chicago area headquarters. Volunteers from the Chicago area, radon industry leaders, and lung cancer survivors and their family members joined the Radonova team to cut, sand, paint, and sign over 100 white ribbons. These white ribbons were then distributed within the local community and to radon industry stakeholders in the region.
How did Radonova meet The White Ribbon Project?
Radonova met Heidi and Pierre when they spoke at a radon industry event a few years ago. “I was so inspired by their story that I brought one of their Lung Cancer Awareness white ribbons back to our office and hung it in the front lobby,” says Zan Jones, VP of Sales and Marketing for Radonova. “When we learned that Heidi and Pierre were going to speak at a conference in the Chicago area, we knew we wanted to help host a ribbon building event.
How did The White Ribbon Project Get Started?
Heidi Nafman-Onda was a 55-year-old, healthy, health educator and fitness trainer with no history of smoking who was shocked when her doctor told her she had terminal, inoperable Stage 3 lung cancer. She was told the prognosis was not good, she had 4-6 months, and she should get her affairs in order.
Throughout her treatment, Heidi became frustrated with the stigma around lung cancer – that you must have been someone who smoked and therefore you are responsible for your disease. “There is no shame in having lung cancer, even if you smoked,” says Heidi. “Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.” She asked her husband, an Internal Medicine physician, Dr. Pierre Onda, to make her a large white ribbon out of wood that she could hang on their front door telling everyone she had lung cancer.
Why the white ribbon?
The symbol for lung cancer is a white ribbon. Heidi shared her white ribbon on a private social media page for lung cancer patients in Colorado and people began asking for their own. Before long, the Ondas were holding ribbon building events out of their garage and shipping white ribbons all over the country – each one signed by those who made the ribbon.
Now, five years later, Heidi has no evidence of disease, there are white ribbons in all 50 states and 34 countries, and The White Ribbon Project is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization.
Radon and lung cancer
Lung cancer is the #1 cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Up until recently, it has killed more people than breast, colon, and prostate cancers combined.
Radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked. Heidi and Pierre tested their home and found radon levels were high.
“It’s surprising that we have requirements for safety devices like smoke detectors, seat belts, and carbon monoxide detectors but people don’t regularly test for radon,” says Heidi. “In addition to screening for other environmental hazards in your home, every home should test for radon.” “Even for me as a Primary Care Physician, radon testing wasn’t on my radar for patients that didn’t exhibit obvious symptoms,” says Pierre. “The level of toxicity for radon needs to come to the forefront as a health hazard just like lead and asbestos. It’s important for the medical community to know more about it and to continue to collaborate about lung cancer.”
The White Ribbon Event in the Chicago Area
Approximately 25 volunteers contributed to the ribbon “build” at the Radonova office. The Radon Man superhero attended along with board members from the Midwest Chapter of the Indoor Environments Association (AARST). Several volunteers learned about the event through The White Ribbon Project’s social media and from being connected with Heidi. Lung cancer survivor networks in the area also spread the word.
“It took about 3 hours for us to make 100 white ribbons,” says Justin Tolentino, Inside Sales Specialist for Radonova, Inc. “The ribbons require two coats of paint, so we took a lunch break while the paint was drying.” Each ribbon is signed by those who are involved in creating the ribbon. “This was one of my favorite things about the event,” continues Tolentino. Participants lined up on both sides of two tables and, in assembly-line fashion, signed and wrote a personal message on all 100 ribbons.
At Radonova, we all know “what” we do…and Heidi’s story really hits home with “why” we do it. Together, we can all make a difference in changing the lung cancer story.
Published
March 17, 2024
