Michelle Alamo has made lung cancer awareness her personal mission.  After watching her father battle a thirteen year battle with lung cancer, Alamo has joined the American Lung Association to help spread lung cancer awareness. 

In 1996 Alamo’s father, Michael, had a faulty tuberculosis test, leading to a biopsy of his lung where his stage four lung cancer was diagnosed. He was given only a year to live. Michael beat those odds and remained stable for five years. After a case of the shingles, the cancer had recurred and metastasized throughout his body.  For almost fourteen years Alamo watched her father, and best friend, battle lung cancer.  Throughout his battle Michael endured multiple surgeries and lost 40% of his lungs. In 2010 Michael Alamo lost his battle to lung cancer.

Losing her father was hard for Alamo, but his death became a catalyst in her to fight for lung cancer awareness.  “I became involved with the American Lung Association because it was more personal and I could make a difference” said Alamo.  The strong connection to her father’s battle with lung cancer makes Alamo a crusader for awareness.

“Everything you breathe resides in your lungs and is processed by your major organs,” said Alamo.  Clean air is important to overall health; even the slightest secondhand smoke or polluted air can cause allergies to flare up.  Nonsmokers are not immune to clean air which is why Alamo fights for it.

For more information on lung cancer and Lung Cancer Awareness Month visit www.lunginfo.org.