Monica Barlow, Lung Cancer Advocate and Former PR Director for the Baltimore Orioles, Honored as April's LUNGevity Hero

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation announces Monica Barlow, formerly director of public relations for the Baltimore Orioles, as the April LUNGevity Hero for her contributions to the fight against lung cancer.  An advocate for lung cancer research through her work with LUNGevity for more than four years, Monica was a vital voice for the lung cancer community.  Her death in February saddened the lung cancer community, the Orioles, her friends and family, and all who came to know her.

Monica Barlow became a member of the LUNGevity family not long after her own stage IV lung cancer diagnosis.  A never smoker with no family history of lung cancer, she was shocked that the relentless cough she had developed while training for a half marathon was, in fact, lung cancer. With the help of innovative medical technologies – the clinical trial of crizotinib and surgical procedures – Monica was able to add years to her life, and as a result, she was determined to raise awareness of the disease and the importance of advancing lung cancer research. 

As a nonsmoker, Monica was well-equipped to share an important LUNGevity Foundation message – that lung cancer can affect anyone regardless of smoking history.  Monica served as a spokesperson and participant in the Breathe Deep Baltimore and DC walks, using the events as an opportunity to inform community members of her reasons for walking.  She also represented the Foundation in public appearances and news articles on lung cancer.

In tribute to Monica, the Baltimore Orioles have joined LUNGevity Foundation in raising awareness of the disease.  During a week of spring training, team members wore Oriole orange LUNGevity shirts in honor of Monica and the battle that the lung cancer community fights every day.  For more on Monica Barlow, visit LUNGevity Hero's Spotlight at http://blog.lungevity.org.

For more information on LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.

About Lung Cancer

• 1 in 14 Americans is diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime.
• About 60 percent of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers.
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, regardless of gender or ethnicity.
• Lung cancer kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer and more than three times as many men as prostate cancer.
• Only 16 percent of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, but if it's caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves to 52 percent.

About LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation