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The Free to Breathe Anywhere Walk is underway through the end of the year – participants can walk whenever and wherever they would like. Walkers are still accepting donations, too!

October 4-5 was the official walk weekend, and participants all over the country formed groups big and small to show their support for lung cancer research. To date, the walk has raised over $100,000!

Sign up, make a donation, or learn more about the event at LCRF.org/anywhere.

Watch the Free to Breathe Anywhere Walk opening ceremony here:

View photos

Email events@LCRF.org if you have photos you’d like to add!

Congratulations to our top fundraising teams as of October 5: Team Fitzpayne/Morningstar, Cancer Warriors for Research, Team Danimal, TeamAviators, and Grampy’s Angels. Top individuals to date are Al Fitzpayne, Archana Gupta, Sharon Munger, Maggie McCloskey, and Kate Veras.

A special thanks to our sponsors:

  • Pfizer Oncology, National Free to Breathe Program Sponsor
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Merck
  • Boehringer Engelheim
  • Novocure
  • Fox Chase Cancer Center
  • Biodesix
Posted in Events, WalksTagged ,

The sun was shining in Chicago on October 5 – an appropriate start to a day filled with hope and warmth. More than 700 participants joined forces for the Free to Breathe Chicago Walk and raised over $215,000 for research to support the patients, families, and friends affected by lung cancer.

Lexi Valasek, who shared her story as a patient with stage 4 lung cancer, remarked, “Research is an act of empathy. It’s a collective promise we make to one another. It says: Your life matters. Your fight is our fight. We’re not going to leave you to face this alone.”

“When we fund research, we’re not just writing a check,” she added. “We are investing in the human potential and the fundamental belief that we can and will defeat this disease.”

Hear Lexi’s full speech below. You can find more videos in our photo album.

Tejal Patel, a patient as well as a member of LCRF’s Board of Directors, told the crowd, “There are more treatment options than ever before, and in just the past few years, we’re continuing to see an exponential increase in new treatments approvals, and the pace of progress continues to accelerate. This momentum truly would not be possible without your support, but we can’t stop here. Lung cancer has historically been severely underfunded, and today that’s truer than ever, especially with the federal programs being cut.”

“We will push research forward and bring hope to so many families that are counting on all of us. Every single donation has the power to spark the next breakthrough, the next treatment, and the next reason for hope.”

View photo album
Tejal takes a selfie with the crowd.

A special thanks to our sponsors:

  • Pfizer Oncology, National Free to Breathe Sponsor
  • Abbvie, Chicago Walk Presenting Sponsor
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Merck
  • Novocure
  • Catalyst Pharmaceuticals
  • AstraZeneca
  • Rush University Medical Center
  • Endeavor Health
  • Genentech, a member of the Roche Group
  • UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Jazz Pharmaceuticals
  • Regeneron
  • United Airlines

Congratulations to our top fundraising teams: Team Diane, Lively Lungs, Breathe Easy Fight Hard, DeMuffy, and Team DL. Kudos to top fundraising individuals: Jim Dominici, John Dominici, Doug Pawlowski, Brian Duffy, and Tejal Patel.

Posted in Events, WalksTagged

$1 million in research grants awarded to focus on lung cancers harboring HER2 mutations and/or other HER2 alterations

NEW YORK, NY (September 30, 2025) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is pleased to announce, in collaboration with Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the recipients of two research grants focused on innovative strategies to advance the understanding and management of lung cancers harboring HER2 mutations and/or other HER2 alterations.

These grants are awarded to projects that address important mechanistic questions and developmental therapeutics across the care continuum for HER2-mutant NSCLC, with the potential to improve patient outcomes. Titled LCRF | Bayer Research Award on Innovative Therapeutic Strategies to Treat Lung Cancers Harboring HER2 Mutations and/or Other HER2 Alterations, submissions were required to include correlative, translational research to advance the understanding of HER2-driven lung cancers. Additionally, submissions were required to include a patient or patient advocate as part of the research team with a role in project design. Awardees receive $500,000 over two years for their projects.

“There is an urgent need to understand the role of HER2 alterations as oncogenic drivers as well as tumor response and resistance mechanisms,” says Kathryn O’Donnell, PhD, LCRF Scientific Advisory Board chair. “We are hopeful that these projects will drive tangible benefits for patients whose tumors harbor these mutations or alterations.”

“We extend our congratulations to the recipients of these awards. We share the investigators’ commitment to patients living with lung cancer, and the desire to bring impactful research results to not only improve treatments, but quality of life,” said Lucia Regales, PhD, Global Medical & Evidence Strategy Lead Oncology at Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division.

The recipients of the LCRF | Bayer Research Award on Innovative Therapeutic Strategies to Treat Lung Cancers Harboring HER2 Mutations and/or Other HER2 Alterations are:

Sarah Goldberg, MD, MPH
Yale School of Medicine
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology)
Associate Director, Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program
Research Director, Center for Thoracic Cancers
Stratifying and Personalizing for HER2 Mutated Lung Cancers

Xiuning Le, MD, PhD
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Associate Professor, Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology
Division of Internal Medicine
Characterization of HER2 Mutations’ Sensitivity to Sevabertinib & Development of Novel Combination Strategies to Overcome Resistance to Current HER2 Therapies

To learn more about LCRF funded research and its grants program, visit LCRF.org.

# # #

About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF’s mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 431 research grants, totaling nearly $49 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit LCRF.org.

Contact:
Sheila Sullivan
Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications, LCRF
ssullivan@LCRF.org

To learn more about HER2-mutant NSCLC, download this educational resource. If you have questions, you can connect with our Lung Cancer Support Line at (844) 835-4325 or email support@LCRF.org.

Posted in Announcements, Grants, ResearchTagged , ,

More than 300 people gathered at Longview Lake in Kansas City on September 27 to walk toward a world without lung cancer.

Together, walkers raised over $35,000 to fund lung cancer research. Many were there to support family or friends experiencing lung cancer. Some had received a diagnosis themselves. Others were there to honor the memory of someone lost to the disease. Everyone held in common a commitment to research that will lead to better outcomes for patients and families.

View photo album

Kudos to our top fundraising teams: The Lung and the Restless, Team Alexis Mirakian, and #TeamShelton. A high five to our top individual fundraisers as well: Alexis Mirakian, Wynter Heinen, and Stephanie Brunkhorst.

The walk couldn’t have happened without our Kansas City volunteer committee – Stephanie Brunkhorst, Steve Shelton, Jennifer Crosby, and Shana Abdullah – and our sponsors:

  • Pfizer Oncology
  • Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems
  • Boehringer Ingelheim
  • Novocure
  • Merck
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
  • Essense of Australia
  • Energy Pro Windows & Siding
  • R&R Marketing Solutions
  • Garrett Good, State Farm

Our in-kind sponsors included Party It Up Entertainment along with FIT Muscle & Joint Clinic.

There’s still time to get involved! The Free to Breathe Anywhere Walk participants can walk any time they’d like through the end of 2025.

Posted in WalksTagged , ,

Glenna is a wife, mother, grandmother, and avid traveler… and she is living with lung cancer.

Her story started in December 2022, when she developed a nagging cough. She wasn’t especially worried, since she had been given a diagnosis of silent reflex some 8 years earlier. By March, however, the cough was getting worse.

She met with her primary care provider, who adjusted her medication. But 4 weeks later, her symptoms hadn’t improved. This time, she was referred to a specialist for reflux.

Then Glenna and her husband took an Alaskan cruise, and Glenna became very sick. Upon returning in June, she felt terrible and had severe pain in her shoulder blade. Nothing abnormal was found, but at that point Glenna hadn’t had a chest X-ray.

In late June, Glenna had quite a scare. “We were at home, and I told my husband he needed to take me to the ER immediately, because I couldn’t breathe.” The ER visit revealed a 9 cm mass in her lung, and she was admitted to the hospital for four days.

Glenna finally had a diagnosis: stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer. Her first-line chemotherapy treatment unfortunately failed. But a blood and tissue biopsy for biomarker testing after her initial diagnosis confirmed that her cancer had the HER2 mutation.

In September 2023, she began a targeted treatment, Enhertu. Glenna has continued on this treatment, and her status is officially NED – no evidence of disease.

Glenna (seated) with her husband, daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchild; and with her husband on some of their travels.

Glenna and her husband have continued to travel throughout her diagnosis. “We had a lot of trips this summer, and we’re still planning more,” she said. “My family has been a great source of support through my treatment.”

“I’m glad I had testing done at the beginning, because it helped avoid a delay in care after my first-line treatment failed. I was relieved to have the additional information, as I knew it would give me options for targeted treatment for the HER2 mutation.”

> Learn about biomarker testing for HER2 and other genetic mutations
> Find a patient support group
> Donate to fund lung cancer research

Posted in JourneysTagged , ,

Organizations join forces to fund research on the effects of air pollution and climate change in lung cancer

NEW YORK, NY (September 23, 2025) – The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) and Oncology Advocates United for Climate and Health – International (OUCH-I) are partnering to fund projects that examine the impact of environmental pollution and climate change on lung cancer risk, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes; along with innovative strategies to mitigate these effects. The program, titled OUCH-International and LCRF Research Grant Program on the Effects of Air Pollution and Climate Change on Carcinogenesis and Lung Cancer Prevalence, is sponsored by AstraZeneca. A $200,000 award over a two-year period will be granted, and the Request for Proposals will open early in 2026. 

Increasing evidence indicates that air pollution is a major cause of lung cancer, and the number of estimated lung cancer deaths attributable to air pollution has increased by nearly 30% since 2007, as smoking has decreased and air pollution has increased (Turner MC et al, CA Cancer J Clin, 2020). The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified outdoor air pollution and particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns (1 inch = 25,400 microns) as a cause of lung cancer (Straif K et al, IARC Press, 2013; Loomis D et al, Lancet Oncol, 2013; GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators, Lancet, 2020). Data now show that exposure to pollution—whether from industrial sources or wildfires—increases the risk of lung cancer in both smokers and non-smokers (Hill et al, Nature, 2023). Globally, outdoor (ambient) air pollution is regarded as the second most important cause of lung cancer mortality, and indoor air pollution is considered the seventh most important cause (GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators, Lancet, 2020).

Air pollution causes many health hazards, can contribute to the development of lung cancer, and can worsen its prognosis. Awareness that exposure to air pollution is the second-largest risk factor for lung cancer needs to be at the forefront of the lung cancer community—to recognize its risks and to educate patients and the healthcare community at large.

“Understanding and identifying ways to mitigate the risk of developing lung cancer as a result of air pollution is a pressing issue,” remarked Joan Schiller, MD, Founder of OUCH-International and long-time member of LCRF’s Board of Directors. “Bringing together LCRF and OUCH-International to award these grants is an important step in increasing early detection of lung cancer. I’m grateful to AstraZeneca for sponsoring this very important program.”

“AstraZeneca is proud to partner with LCRF and OUCH-International in such a crucial area of lung cancer research,” said Nabil Chehab, Medical Affairs Head of AstraZeneca’s Lung Cancer Franchise. “Unlocking the impacts of pollution and climate change on lung cancer will enable the oncology community to better support education, detection, diagnosis, and treatments for every patient at every stage. This partnership will undoubtedly enhance our understanding and enable another step forward toward increasing survival for people living with lung cancer.”

“This collaboration will help us to understand how the air we breathe can increase our risk for developing lung cancer,” said Aubrey Rhodes, Executive Director of LCRF. “Dr. Schiller and her OUCH-International colleagues’ expertise and pursuit of solutions for the lung cancer community will help to improve the body of research that informs how lung cancer is detected, diagnosed, and treated.”

# # # 

About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) 
The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF’s mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 431 research grants, totaling nearly $49 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information about the LCRF grant program and funding opportunities, visit LCRF.org/research.

About Oncology Advocates United for Climate and Health – International (OUCH-I)
OUCH is the only non-profit, nonpartisan volunteer cancer organization focused on mitigating the effects of climate change on cancer care. Our mission is to advance awareness, actions, and policies that mitigate the effects of climate change on cancer care, and our pillars include advocacy, education and outreach research, cancer care delivery, sustainability, and resilience, and climate justice and health equity. Our members include oncology health care professionals (e.g. MDs, PhDs, RNs, pharmacists, social workers, researchers, patient advocates) who are interested in mitigating the effects of climate change on cancer. We currently have over 150 members representing 27 states and 23 different countries, including six oncology professional societies.

Contact:
LUNG CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Sheila Sullivan
Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications
ssullivan@LCRF.org

OUCH – INTERNATIONAL
Joan H. Schiller, MD
608-469-6992
joanhschiller@gmail.com
ouchforclimate.org

Posted in Announcements, GrantsTagged , , ,

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation’s annual Evening of Innovation gala celebrated scientific discovery and the remarkable people who have contributed to the progress being made in the lung cancer space. The event raised more than $1.6 million to accelerate research, improve outcomes, and bring hope to countless families affected by lung cancer. 

This year’s gala, held at Cipriani 25 Broadway on Sept. 17, honored Raymond E. Chalmé, a dedicated advocate for lung cancer research. Ray, along with his family, founded Elliot’s Legacy – a community kite-flying event named for his father, who died of lung cancer at the age of 56. Elliot’s Legacy has raised more than $8.5 million over the past 18 years.

Joan H. Schiller, MD, received the Founders Award for her visionary work to improve lung cancer outcomes. Dr. Schiller gave a voice to the lung cancer community when she founded Free to Breathe, a nationwide movement raising awareness and funds to support critical research.

Dr. Schiller receives the Founders Award from presenter Sharon Munger
Gala honoree Ray Chalmé (left) with his brother, Richie Chalmé

Benay Taub shared a powerful and poignant personal story of her experience receiving a lung cancer diagnosis just last year. Her words touched everyone in the room as she called for all the attendees to support lung cancer research funding.

Will Reeve, the son of Christopher and Dana Reeve, made a surprise appearance, sharing with attendees about his mother’s experience with her diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer as well as their experience as a family, both through the diagnosis and the loss of his mother from the disease.

While this year’s event was a celebration of the progress made in lung cancer research, each of the speakers underscored the urgent need for more funding for lung cancer – it remains the deadliest of all cancers and the most underfunded. While we have come so far, there is still much work to be done.

Watch a short video about our honoree:

    Read the press release
    View all photos

    Hear remarks from our honoree and speakers:

    Ray Chalmé
    Dr. Joan Schiller
    Benay Taub

    Click a photo below to enlarge

    Posted in Events

    LCRF’s science team talks about the role of the Scientific Advisory Committee and the importance of involving young scientists in lung cancer research. Watch the video below.

    Featured:
    Aubrey Rhodes, LCRF Executive Director
    Dhru Deb, PhD, Senior Director, Research & Administration
    Antoinette (Toni) Wozniak, MD, Chief Scientific Officer

    Watch on YouTube

    Posted in Executive Director Updates, ResearchTagged , , , ,