911 Ground Zero Lung Cancer Survivor Serves as Catalyst to Educate Community about Lung Cancer Screenings

TAMPA, FL | January 3, 2023

In 2011, eleven years after 911, Ground Zero volunteer Jack Sica was told he had lung cancer and would have less than a year to live. Prior to Sica’s diagnosis he was feeling fine, working hard in a nursing home, and living life as usual. When Sica noticed a small bump on his rib, and occasionally feeling a little winded he consulted his primary care physician.

“From that moment on I was determined to take one day at a time, not to take on too much, take care of myself and just live my life,” shares Sica.

“Who hasn’t been around smoke or breathed in poor air at some point in their lives?” rhetorically asks Sica. “Most of us probably have. I assisted at Ground Zero in the immediate days following 911 and I was a DJ in my twenties and thirties spinning records in bars when smoking was allowed indoors, doing what I loved, but no one deserves cancer. There is such a negative stigma about lung cancer, unlike other cancers.”

Today, Sica has proven the naysayers wrong, living a full life spending time with the love of his life, Roberto and with friends while cooking, watching movies and adding rare finds to his growing record collection. Sica encourages friends to get scanned for lung cancer and is actively working with the American Lung Association to educate the community about lung health.

Sica is doing his part to spread the word and on January 18th, Sica will share his lung cancer journey at the American Lung Association’s annual Lip Sync for Lungs Live Battle at Higgins Hall. This unique, action-packed event features local celebrities in a wildly entertaining setting that raises funds to provide lung health programs in Tampa and lung disease research.

“It is my hope that I can provide comfort to someone living with lung disease and give those attending the event a little piece of information that just might save their life – lung cancer screenings save lives,” shares Sica.

“Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., but there is hope,” shares Steven Riddle, executive director of the American Lung Association in Tampa Bay. “If lung cancer is caught before it spreads, the chance of surviving five years or more increases to over 60%. If you or a loved one smoked, take the lung cancer screening eligibility quiz at SavedByTheScan.org."

For more information on the 6^th annual Lip Sync For Lungs on January 18th, and tickets please visit LipSyncForLungsTampa.org.

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About the American Lung Association

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org. To support the work of the American Lung Association, find a local event at Lung.org/events.

For more information, contact:

Jill Smith
704-818-4138
[email protected]

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911 Ground Zero Lung Cancer Survivor Serves as Catalyst to Educate Community about Lung Cancer Screenings

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