Links of Hope | A Splash of Life

Following are links to a variety of subjects that may help you cope and better understand your lung cancer journey as a smoker or an ex-smoker.

The stigma associated with lung cancer has distorted the reality of this disease as most people honestly believe they cannot get lung cancer if they never smoked. The truth is that if you have lungs you can get lung cancer.

Lung cancer is rarely diagnose in the early stages as there is no screening process in place for early detection. This often results in an advanced stage diagnosis for the patient. People with an increased risk of lung cancer from smoking or other factors, may consider annual lung cancer screening using x-ray and/or low-dose CT scans. Discuss your lung cancer risk with your doctor. Together you can decide whether lung cancer screening is right for you.

Hopefully, the following articles will bring awareness to the stigma associated with lung cancer for smokers and ex smokers.

https://www.cancer.net/blog/2014-08/stigma-lung-cancer

https://www.lungcancercanada.ca/Lung-Cancer/Stigma.aspx

https://www.lung.org/blog/making-lung-cancer-stigma-a

https://lungevity.org/news-blogs/blogs/lung-cancer-stigma

The following sites may help you understand COPD and realize that there are many things that one can do to improve their condition.

http://www.copdcanada.ca/index.html

https://www.livingwellwithcopd.com/en/what-is-copd.html

Here you will find information to help you reduce the anxiety that may develop when learning you have COPD.

ttp://copdcanada.ca/anxiety.htm

Inspiring story of incredible courage from a young woman, Claire Wineland, who lived her life to the fullest even though she was born with cystic fibrosis, a terminal disease. Living while dying: 'Little Buddha's wisdom. Sadly she passed away from a stroke following a lung transplant surgery shortly after doing this video.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/05/health/claire-wineland-cystic-fibrosis-eprise/index.html

https://www.healthline.com/health/copd/best-blogs-of-the-year#1

https://lungevity.org/

Lung Cancer Support Community

http://forums.lungevity.org/

https://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/cancers/lung-cancer/1,0,119,3.htm

https://www.webmd.com/cancer/features/lung-cancer-life-advice#1

Quebec Cancer Foundation

https://fqc.qc.ca/en