I have received information and materials from AstraZeneca. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post.

I don’t have any grandmothers left. Both of my grandmothers and my great-grandmothers were all huge influences on my life, but they’re no longer with us. I don’t think you ever get over losing the people who raised you, the folks who loved you, and were always there to support you. It certainly hasn’t gotten easier for me.

We lost them all to different causes, but my maternal grandmother, Elaine, passed away 13 years ago from lung cancer. After beating it once, it came back and she ultimately succumbed to it. My Grandmom Elaine was a fighter, and we never expected to lose her so soon. We just weren’t ready to lose her.

When I look back on the way that my grandmother struggled with her cancer, I wish that she would have been able to have more support from folks who could relate to what she was going through. I wish there were better resources for our family to give us the tools to help my grandmother cope with her cancer. We did the best we could, but I know that there’s more that could have been done.

Since my grandmother passed, other friends and family members have been diagnosed with cancer. The one bright spot is the availability of more information for cancer patients and their loved ones. One of the places where information is readily available, along with a supportive and thoughtful community is LVNG With.

The LVNG With Community + Lung Cancer Awareness Month

LVNG With is a site that helps to connect people who are living with lung cancer and their families. It’s filled with information and resources so that no one has to feel alone after a lung cancer diagnosis. In addition to personal stories, you can find research and other educational information that will help you to make informed decisions about treatment, stay updated on new mutations, and overall management of cancer.

Another resource that supports those living with cancer and their loved ones is Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM). It started as Lung Cancer Awareness Day in 1995, but is now a month-long program during November. Even though it’s over now, you can use the information about lung cancer all year long. For example, did you know that more than 430,000 people alive today have been diagnosed with lung cancer at some point? Also, in the US, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and second most common form of cancer. These facts definitely give you more perspective on the disease.

It is important for people to speak out not only during LCAM but every month of the year: to fight the stigma about the diagnosis, raise awareness of new testing and treatment options, and show support for the thousands of patients who are fighting the disease. There is more hope and treatment options than ever before. One day, we hope to treat lung cancer as a chronic disease.

If your family has been affected by cancer, check out the LVNG With site for information on everything from the emotions of receiving a lung cancer diagnosis to new treatment options, such as genetic testing.

Check out the LVNG With website, or follow them on Facebook at LVNG With or Instagram at LVNG With. Find information from Lung Cancer Awareness Month by searching the hashtag #LCAM on social media.