PHILADELPHIA, PA | March 19, 2026
On Wednesday, March 25, Kutztown resident and lung cancer advocate, Christa Levengood, will travel to Washington, D.C., for the American Lung Association’s 11th annual LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day. 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.
Last September, after struggling through six weeks of breathlessness and tests, Levengood was diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer adenocarcinoma. The cancer had spread to her bones, lymph nodes, pleural cavity of her lungs and liver. She needed high levels of oxygen around the clock and could barely walk five feet without assistance. Biomarker testing revealed the cancer was caused by a mutation in the ALK gene. Like Levengood, people with ALK-positive lung cancer tend to be younger than the average lung cancer patient and often have no history of smoking. She is now on a targeted therapy and is responding well to treatment.
“Research funded by the NIH has dramatically changed how cancers like mine are treated,” said Levengood. “Within just a few years, drugs that specifically target ALK mutations were developed and approved, giving patients like me treatment options that did not exist before. Without this research, my diagnosis would likely have been a death sentence.”
During LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day, Levengood will speak with Pennsylvania 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.
“Research has given me more time with my family, friends and community,” Levengood said. “Research isn’t optional for the countless people who will face a cancer diagnosis in the future. It’s our only chance of survival, and I am living proof of what that investment in research can accomplish.”
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.
On Saturday, April 11, Levengood’s family and friends will be raising critical funds for research, education and advocacy at the Fight For Air Climb in Philadelphia as Team CHRISTA. Learn more about the event at FightForAirClimb.org/philadelphia.
For more details about the American Lung Association’s ongoing efforts to end lung cancer, visit LUNGFORCE.org.
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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.
LUNG FORCE is a national movement led by the American Lung Association to unite our nation in our efforts to defeat lung cancer, the #1 cancer killer of women and men. LUNG FORCE has three priorities: 1) Make lung cancer a cause that people care about – and act on; 2) Educate and empower patients and healthcare providers and 3) Raise critical funds for groundbreaking lung cancer research. The American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE is nationally presented by CVS Health. Find out more at LUNGFORCE.org.
For more information, contact:
Victoria O'Neill
(312) 273-5890
[email protected]
