About a year after I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, I had an overwhelming feeling that my life had a new purpose. I truly believe everything happens for a reason and God has a plan much bigger than mine. I kept asking myself: what I supposed to learn from this disease? What I am supposed to be doing with my life? How can I help others?

I initially began volunteering with the American Lung Association. I gathered a team and raised money for their walk and stair climb, got trained to help out with some of their programs, and became a spokesperson for their events. I helped to educate our community about their free programs and they gave me the platform to raise awareness for lung cancer. It’s been a perfect partnership but I felt like I needed to do more. We need more funding for research. For…