Social Campaign Urges Participants to 'Lash Out' Lung Cancer

Lung cancer kills more than 400,000 women worldwide each year — more than breast, ovarian and cervical cancer deaths combined, according to the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF).

“That [fact] shocks people,” Delia Naughton, LMSW, Executive Vice President of Business Development at the LCRF, said in an interview with CURE.

To raise awareness for the striking effects the disease has on women, the LCRF recently launched two campaigns: “Wink… and Lash Out Cancer” and “Blow a Kiss.” Participants can use the hashtags #WinkandLashOut and #BlowAKiss to show that they want to “lash out” lung cancer or send a kiss to someone with lung cancer. It is also encouraged to tag the organization — @LungCancerResearchFoundation on Facebook or @Lung_Fund on Twitter.

People can also email their photos to info@lungfund.org for a chance to be featured on LCRF’s website and social media channels.

“We thought that we have a lot of patients and caregivers and family members who are a part of our lung cancer community. This is a great way to provide a service and keep them connected because sometimes it can be isolating,” Naughton said. “We found that social media is something patients engage in and use frequently. It really does have an impact on what people know and learn.”

While social media campaigns are crucial for sparking involvement and raising awareness, the LCRF also does much more. Their focus is on improving outcomes and quality of life in people with lung cancer, and they do so by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure for the disease. To-date, the LCRF has given 342 grants, totaling $34 million to research institutions across the globe, according to their website.

Since merging with another nonprofit, Free to Breathe, this September, the LCRF also has a strong focus on awareness and education, hosting over 50 public events across the U.S. through the Free to Breathe event series.

“In the US, more people die of lung cancer than breast, colorectal and pancreatic cancer combined. By raising awareness of these unknown facts, we hope to increase funding for lung cancer research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure,” said Schiller in a release. “We are proud of the research our organization has funded thus far, but there is still a lot to do.”