LUNGevity Foundation Announces Inaugural 'Breathe Deep Denver' 5K Walk/Run

Congresswoman Diane DeGette, Honorary Event Chair; Dr. Paul Bunn, Honorary Medical Chair

Event To Raise Awareness and Funds for Lung Cancer Research

CHICAGO, Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's largest lung cancer non-profit, will hold the first annual Breathe Deep Denver, a 5K walk/run, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 5, 2011. Breathe Deep Denver, which is one of LUNGevity's 19 walks/runs in November, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, will kick off with a yoga warm-up led by Sarah Russell, owner of Breathe Yoga & Cycling Studio, and a performance from the Breathe Deep Tuba Chorus, sponsored by the Downtown Denver Partnership and directed by Bill Clark, who is also the director of the Queen City Jazz Band.

"For personal reasons, the fight against lung cancer holds a special place in my heart," said Representative Diana DeGette, honorary chair of the Breath Deep Denver event. "Cancer is the number one killer worldwide and lung cancer is top of that list.  The impact that can be made by not only detecting lung cancer sooner, but also by finding effective treatments would be tremendous for all our families."

Breathe Deep Denver is one of several events across the country hosted by LUNGevity this year. The organization chose Denver as a location because of Colorado's long standing reputation for lung research and rehabilitation. In June 2011, LUNGevity awarded a $600,000 grant to a team of researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center for a project for the early detection of lung cancer.  "We are thrilled that Congresswoman DeGette and Dr. Bunn have joined LUNGevity in our quest to raise awareness and funds to stop lung cancer now," said Andrea Stern Ferris, President and Chairman of LUNGevity.  "Their involvement helps to elevate the conversation on the national platform."

Dr. Paul Bunn, a nationally renowned lung cancer researcher and professor at University of Colorado Cancer Center and Executive Director of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer IASLC, serves as the honorary medical chair of the event's steering committee.

"Our goal is to move lung cancer from the number one cancer killer in the United States to the position of becoming a chronic illness," said Dr. Bunn. "Until we accomplish that, we are focusing on prevention, early detection and effective treatment of lung cancer – the number one cancer that also kills twice as many women as breast cancer."

Proceeds from Breathe Deep Denver will go toward LUNGevity's efforts to fund lung cancer research grants, specifically for research focused on early detection efforts and targeted therapies. Visit www.breathedeepdenver.org for more information or to register for the event.

About LUNGevity Foundation
The mission of LUNGevity Foundation is to have a meaningful and immediate impact on improving lung cancer survival rates, ensure a higher quality of life for lung cancer patients, and provide a community for those impacted by lung cancer.

In order to accomplish its mission, LUNGevity funds the most promising research into the early detection and successful treatment of lung cancer. LUNGevity also supports the largest national grassroots lung cancer network. LUNGevity Foundation has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, American's premier charity evaluator.

LUNGevity seeks to inspire the nation to commit to ending lung cancer.

For more information, please visit www.lungevity.org.

About Lung Cancer

• Lung cancer impacts 1 in 14 Americans and is the number one cancer killer.
• About 65 percent of Americans diagnosed with lung cancer either never smoked a cigarette in their lives or had quit smoking.
• Less than 15 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer survive 5 years post-diagnosis because of limited early detection opportunities.
• There is no widely available, effective early diagnostic test available today.

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation