Personal connections draw people to walk in annual fundraiser for lung disease, cancer research
Families, doctors and patients walked three miles in North Park on Saturday for the 10th annual Lung Force Walk to raise money for lung disease and lung cancer research.
For Margee Skalski Begley, it’s all about honoring her late brother David — who had lung disease.
“I’ll start crying because I just admire how brave he was, how strong he was. No matter what, when I called him. Every day I would ask how he was, and he would say ‘I’m doing better today,’” Skalski-Begley said.
Melanie Symoniak walked to share her own story.
“In October of 2021, at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, it was after seven months of starting with a cough,” Symoniak said.
Symoniak’s doctor walked for families impacted by lung disease and lung cancer, even his own.
“You know, I walk for my parents. I lost my parents to lung cancer when I was 16 and my father when I was 7,” said Dr. Tim Burns of UPMC Hillman Center.
They all hope to raise awareness.
“Luckily for me, there’s oral targeted therapies. So I take pills twice a day. And I responded really well thankfully,” Symoniak said.
“26,000 never-smokers a year are diagnosed with this type of lung cancer. It’s in the top 10. I mean, lung cancer is the most common killer of men and women,” Burns said.
Organizers hoped to raise $85,000 from this walk. The money will go to research, early detection and outreach. By Saturday morning, funds raised were close to $73,000. Organizers are confident they’ll reach their goal by June, with a few other lung cancer and lung disease fundraisers.
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