This September, twenty years after her own lung cancer diagnoses, LiveLung founder Dusty Donaldson set out on a 12,000-mile Journey Across the America: Celebrating 20 Years of Lung Cancer Progress and Survivorship. The 6-week journey began
as she departed the LungCAN Summit in Raleigh, NC on September 25th.Throughout her road trip in an adorably outfitted “Skan Van”, Dusty is meeting with survivors, care partners, clinicians, and advocates, celebrating survivorship, and capturing their stories for an upcoming documentary. These heartfelt conversations illuminate the courage of survivors, the dedication of researchers and medical professionals, and the compassion that binds the lung cancer community together.
It brings me to reflect on this issue’s theme — treating not only the disease, but the ‘dis-ease’ that allows it to endure. The stigma surrounding “lung cancer” can cloud people’s visionand keep them from seeing the human behind the diagnosis. This disease has been literally shrouded in smoke for many decades. Every mile of Dusty’s Journey is a reminder that awareness is not only about information, it’s about connection. By connecting with and giving voice to those impacted by lung cancer, Dusty is helping to dissolve stigma and build understanding.
Dusty’s mission has always combined education, advocacy, and risk reduction. Through partnerships with organizations like Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3), LiveLung continues to confront one of the leading causes of lung cancer among nonsmokers — radon exposure. Together, LiveLung and CR3 recently completed the Pittsburgh Radon Project, an initiative that distributed free test kits, educated families, and encouraged mitigation in homes where high levels were found. It’s a model of how collaboration transforms awareness into measurable action.
These efforts — listening tours, partnerships, risk reduction campaigns — represent a national movement toward whole-person health. When communities come together to address both environmental risks and emotional resilience, we begin to heal not just
the body, but the collective spirit.
Dusty’s Journey is more than a road trip; it’s a reminder that every story shared, every home tested, and every life uplifted brings us closer to a future where lung cancer is met with empathy, understanding, and risk reduction. Through LiveLung’s partnerships with CR3 and other organizations, Dusty’s mission continues to inspire action rooted in compassion.
Because healing is bigger than medicine—it’s about restoring hope, community, and confidence. And with
each conversation, test kit, and mile, Dusty’s Journey helps the nation breathe
a little easier.
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From ‘Dis-Ease’ to Empowerment: Dusty’s Journey and the National Fight for Lung Health
by Jessica Yoos
October 20, 2025
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