Local Lung Cancer Survivor Travels to Washington, D.C. to Urge Lawmakers to Support Lifesaving Research, Prevention and Access to Care

On Wednesday, March 25, North East resident and lung cancer survivor, Miriam Patterson, will meet with her members of Congress for the American Lung Association’s 11th annual LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. She will share her story and ask lawmakers to support $51.3 billion in research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and $11.6 billion in public health funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as improve access to quality, affordable healthcare coverage.

Patterson’s journey with lung cancer began on her 22nd birthday. She was at the hospital with her mother, who had just been diagnosed with stage IV small-cell lung cancer. She was only 51 years old and had quit smoking a decade before. She underwent several courses of chemotherapy and radiation, and passed 17 months later.

“When my mother was diagnosed in the 1980s, there was no lung cancer screening. No immunotherapy or genetic testing,” said Patterson. “Perhaps her outcome would have been different if she had access to those tests.”

Several years ago, Patterson began receiving low-dose CT scans to monitor a lung nodule. She did not have a smoking history. In 2022, she connected with a surgeon from her local hospital who had moved on to research at NIH. He let her know that with her mother’s history and current diagnosis, she met the criteria for a research program he was leading, with the surgery being free of cost. Instead of open chest surgery, Patterson underwent robotic thoracic surgery, which is minimally-invasive with faster recovery. Pathology done during surgery revealed she had non-small cell lung cancer. The surgery was a success, and Patterson has been cancer-free for nearly four years.

“After my own lung cancer diagnosis, I made a silent promise to my mother that I would do whatever I could to support lung cancer research, funding and awareness for all those affected by lung cancer,” Patterson said. “In the years since my mother’s death, the medical community has discovered many new lung cancer risks beyond smoking history, like radon exposure, genetics and environmental factors. We need to end the stigma. Anyone with lungs can develop lung cancer.”

During LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day, Patterson will speak with Maryland members of Congress and their staff to share her personal experience with lung cancer and explain why investments in research funding, public health and access to care are important to her.

Patterson added: “Lung cancer does not define who deserves compassion or care. By making insurance accessible, advancing research and ending the stigma, we can give more people the chance to breathe easier and live longer!”

Since 2016, thousands of LUNG FORCE Heroes from across the country have put a human face to the nation’s leading cause of cancer death and urged lawmakers to support robust, sustainable and predictable federal funding increases for lung cancer research and prevention, as well as quality and affordable healthcare. These efforts have contributed to increasing the five-year lung cancer survival rate to nearly 30%, which is a 26% increase over the last five years.

On March 25, support the LUNG FORCE Heroes by visiting LUNGFORCE.org/AdvocacyDay, and contact your senators and representative and ask them to support $51.3 billion in research funding for the NIH and $11.6 billion in public health funding for the CDC, as well as improve access to quality, affordable healthcare coverage. 

For more details about the American Lung Association’s ongoing efforts to end lung cancer, visit LUNGFORCE.org.