Hi Everyone!

I am so incredibly excited to share that I will be running (and maybe walking, crawling or other) the 2023 New York City Marathon with the Lung Cancer Research Foundation in honor of my grandmother, Rita Pen!

I will be raising funds for lung cancer research, a cause very near and dear to me. Just under a year ago I sat for the 2022 New York Bar exam. Six days prior, my grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. At the time, my family and I had no other information aside from this preliminary diagnosis. I did what I knew. I read, and read, and read.

What I found? Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality but receives far less research than any other cancer. What I did not find in hours of reading peer reviewed studies, articles and online support group forums? Prognoses greatly differ for lung cancer resulting from a genetic mutation. So much so that, months, may turn to years.

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation funds a grant researching just this. The EGFR mutation is common in lung cancer among women and non-smokers, like my grandmother. I hope by raising money for research we can work together to fund the development of additional medications designed to prolong a person’s life living with lung cancer, and provide information and guidance to anyone searching “what does a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis mean.” After surviving World War II, Stalinism, and the fall of the USSR, lung cancer does not stand a chance against my grandmother.

Thank you for supporting my run and I hope to see you at New York’s largest block party in November!

With so many thanks,

Naomi