Our Mission
LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of all people diagnosed with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease.
Our Values
We believe it's important for our board, our staff, and our constituents to know the values that drive all our actions. We are:
Focused on Survivorship
- 100% dedicated to increasing and improving lung cancer survivorship
Results-Oriented
- Always challenging the status quo and seeking a more efficient and effective way
- Rigorously measuring our performance to ensure maximum impact
Compassionate and Respectful
- Building and sustaining a community for all those affected by lung cancer
- Respectful of all people with lung cancer, caregivers, loved ones, medical professionals, donors, board members, and employees
Collaborative
- Committed to being good partners and strategic collaborators to enable us to reach our goal more quickly and efficiently, including through our scientific endeavors
Transparent
- Fiscally responsible and holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards
Our History
The LUNGevity Foundation of today was created in June 2010, when LUNGevity Foundation and Protect Your Lungs joined forces to form the premier lung cancer organization in the US. We owe our strength to the courage and inspiration of the individuals behind each organization.
The Original LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity Foundation was founded in 2001 by seven people who had each had been diagnosed with lung cancer. It was their vision and passion for finding a cure that resulted in LUNGevity’s phenomenal growth. In starting a small Chicago-born organization and nurturing it to become the nation’s fastest-growing charity in less than ten years, these very special people left an indelible legacy.
The Inspiration Behind Protect Your Lungs
Patricia A. Stern, the inspiration behind Protect Your Lungs, died in March 2008 after being diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Despite Pat’s vigilance with her annual physicals and chest x-rays, the disease developed undetected until it was too late to treat. Pat’s family decided to do something about this and prevent it from happening to other families.