Right2Survive is a coalition of patient organizations that have come together with one goal in mind: to ensure lung cancer patients can become lung cancer survivors. Our leadership includes representatives from the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network, the Lung Health Foundation, and Lung Cancer Canada as well as patient advocates from Alberta and Ontario. We pool our skills and resources because it is critical that governments across our country understand the importance of taking action to support the lung cancer community.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada. Despite the publicity that other cancer types receive, it is a diagnosis of lung cancer that has too often been a death sentence. It doesn’t have to be this way. With new technologies, innovative medicines, and most importantly, earlier diagnoses, modern medicine has allowed us to significantly improve the likelihood that lung cancer patients can continue to thrive.
Our challenge in Canada, however, is the lack of one central lung cancer care system. The level of access to screening you have, the level of care you receive and much more is partly determined by where you live. With only three provinces currently running permanent organized lung cancer screening programs, it is clear that there is more work to do. We need to turn pilots into permanent screening programs. And we need to ensure that provinces without organized screening for lung cancer recognize its value and act accordingly.
Together, we can make that happen. By working with every provincial government, centering the experience and voices of patients in our work, and helping the community of patients, caregivers, friends, families and health care professionals to find their place in our advocacy work we will reach our goal, to ensure that lung cancer patients can become lung cancer survivors.
Canadian Cancer Survivor Network
Lung Cancer Canada
Lung Health Foundation
Unmasking the Reality of Lung Cancer
Breathe Hope
Jess Lung Health Foundation
I truly enjoy being a part of Right2Survive. It means a great deal to me to be able to ensure lung cancer patients are having their voices heard and being a part of improving access to screening programs across the country. Witnessing the screening programs be put into place in Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia has been extremely rewarding. Being able to see our hard work come to life is amazing. I continue to be inspired daily and have learned much from the other members and the patients we interact with. Through their inspiration I continue to raise my voice and advocate for patients across Canada.
Michelle Lung Cancer Canada
Supporting lung cancer patients across Canada is the goal of Lung Cancer Canada and
something that I’m personally proud of. Right2Survive gives us all the opportunity to bring to life,
our message together with a diverse set of experiences and skills supporting lung cancer patients while urging governments to grasp the needs of lung cancer patients. Seeing the amazing work that all the groups are doing within the Right2Survive coalition always reminds me how important our work at Lung Cancer Canada is to support the lung cancer community. Realizing how governments have listened to our recommendations and heard the lung cancer community has been my proudest moment. Allowing patients voices to be heard and recognized across the country will never get old.
Jackie CCSN
Being a part of Right2Survive means being able to support lung cancer patients to become advocates for the community and I know how important patient advocacy is. This group comes together and supports the lung cancer community by helping to build skills and community, and I am extremely proud of that. Seeing the excellent work that has come out of this group, reminds me that it is possible to make change. I am inspired to be persistent in my work and never give up when it comes to fighting for the rights of cancer patients across the country. Working together with our patient partners is extremely inspiring to me. Hearing directly from lung cancer patients and getting their input on the work we do is especially meaningful. Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to do the amazing work we do with Right2Survive
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