Think Lung Cancer Can’t Affect You? Think Again

The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation is dedicated to helping those affected and dealing with lung cancer.

Phoenix, AZ—If you are one of the millions of Americans that thinks Lung Cancer is a smokers disease, think again. 60% of new cases are diagnosed in former smokers and those who have NEVER touched a cigarette in their lives and this number is on the rise. Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. The age for lung cancer survivors is dropping. Take Haley Dyal for instance, a perfectly healthy 15 year old diagnosed with stage IV lung Cancer. Please visit her site and offer her support http://www.haleydyal.com

Having had a disease that caused scarring in the lungs may be a risk factor for a type of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma of the lung. Tuberculosis (TB) can make scar tissue form in the lungs. A recent study in China showed that in people who have had tuberculosis the risk of lung cancer is increased.

“Lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. About 2 out of 3 people diagnosed with lung cancer are older than 65; fewer than 3% of all cases are found in people under the age of 45. The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 71.” Says the American Cancer Society.

Roughly four out of five people diagnosed with stage four lung cancer die within five years. More than half die within a year of diagnosis, and 75 percent die within two years.
Lung cancer is the cancer that is still whispered in elevators or crowded rooms. It is the cancer that immediately elicits the question, "How long did you smoke?" “In the end, it doesn't really matter.” says Hart

Blame is a wasted effort, and we're all in this together, aren't we? As a society, we should be vigorously seeking all potential cures for all cancers.
The signs and symptoms of lung cancer may take years to appear and are often confused with symptoms of less serious conditions.

The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation began on July 9, 2008 with one purpose in mind to help those faced with this horrible disease, living without insurance, find and receive the medical treatment they so deserve. Often the middle class hard working are often the ones that can not get the help and support needed during such a tough time. The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation is here to help those faced with the challenges of the “system” while offering support, resources and compassion. For more information about the Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation or to make a tax deductible donation please visit http://www.LizMartocciLungCancerFoundation.org

Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation Announces Tax Exempt Status as Official 501 C3 Organization

The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation is dedicated to helping those affected and dealing with lung cancer.

Phoenix, AZ— We are pleased to announce that the Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation is now an approved 501(c)(3) tax-deductible charity under US tax law. The IRS grants this coveted status upon organizations who meet specific legal requirements and operate under strict conditions with the goal of providing a public benefit. 501(c)3 status makes the Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation exempt from paying federal taxes and allows any donations to be a tax deduction for the donor. This status is also a requirement by all foundations and government agencies when applying for grants. We started the process in July of 2008 when the Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation was formally organized as a public charity non-profit corporation. After many forms and paperwork, legal fees, government fees, and a lot of effort we were able to surpass this milestone and be granted exempt status.

President Dan Hart was excited about the organization getting the news. “We are pleased to say our dream is finally coming true now that we are tax exempt. We look forward to making a difference in the lives of those faced with lung cancer.” Many people find out that they may have lung cancer through a chest x-ray. Often a CT scan and biopsy are requested to confirm. “Our goal is to help those people without insurance get the tests and treatments they need as quickly as possible” says Hart. One only needs to search the phrase “lung cancer” on the internet to find hundreds of heart-wrenching articles and stories relating to the struggles of those faced with lung cancer and their families.

The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation had some bold goals in mind as they set to launch this foundation in July 2008. Lung cancer is the NUMBER ONE cancer killer in American men and women of all ethnicities. In 2008, more than 215,000 American men and women will be newly diagnosed with lung cancer. Tragically, approximately 162,000 people will lose their lives to the disease. Lung cancer kills more people in the United States every year than breast, colon, and prostate cancer combined. While lung cancer takes the lives of more people each year it is the most underfunded.

Since our beginning, we have witnessed, first hand, the hopeless need for support in living expenses, doctor referrals, and genuine love. We have devoted ourselves to addressing these issues and are dedicated to helping people living with lung cancer overcome these issues. “We want to help comfort people in the one of the most difficult situation anyone can be faced with” says Hart

Every 2 minutes, worldwide, someone is diagnosed with lung cancer. “We want to help those people and change the statistics” says Hart.

The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation began on July 9, 2008 with one purpose in mind to help those faced with this horrible disease, living without insurance, find and receive the medical treatment they so deserve. Often the middle class hard working are often the ones that can not get the help and support needed during such a tough time. The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation is here to help those faced with the challenges of the “system” while offering support, resources and compassion. For more information about the Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation or to make a tax deductible donation please visit http://www.LizMartocciLungCancerFoundation.org

Coming to Terms With Lung Cancer: Singing the Blues on Stage

In 2004 doctors told legendary singer Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown that he had lung cancer but instead of getting blue, he went on stage and happily sang the blues. At that moment, the 80-year-old refused treatment and said "no one's gonna cut me open" and preferred to spend his days doing what he had always done - living his life.

Well not everyone has the attitude to do the same. Facing cancer is one of the most difficult challenges a person can experience. There is no right or wrong way to feel about your diagnosis. What matters is being able to cope so that you are able to experience the good parts of each day along with the difficult parts that lung cancer will place in your every day life.
Coping is widely defined as one's way of handling difficult situations. Although the definition is broad, a person's individual strategies are quite precise. There is no right way to cope with the diagnosis of lung cancer. People handle cancer in different ways, just as people cope with any life problem in a different way.

The first reaction many people have after being diagnosed with lung cancer is shock. The feeling of numbness may be particularly distressing but it is quite normal. It is your mind's way of keeping you from being overwhelmed. Your thinking may seem disorganized at first, as your mind is likely to be filled with questions and concerns.

Through her bravery, fortitude, determination, and tenacity, Liz Martocci works on a daily basis to free her body of cancerous cells in order to live a long, happy, and fruitful life with her family and friends. Please come have the blues with us in support of the Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation which will be holding its first Fundraising Concert at the Rhythm Room on Wednesday September 24. The doors open at 7p.m. with a minimum donation of $5 or more is appreciated. For more information on the foundation visit http://www.lizmartoccilungcancerfoundation.org/


The Rhythm Room "Phoenix's Roots and Blues Concert Club" is located at 1019 E. Indian School Road Phoenix, Arizona 85014.

The benefit show for Liz Martocci, cancer survivor, will include a huge list of blues bands including: BLIND RONNIE'S HOUSE OF BLUES, BLUZONE, UVON, GARY JORDAN, KRIMSON CHORD, THE FLAMEKEEPERS and more.

The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation began on July 9, 2008 with one purpose in mind to help those faced with this horrible disease, living without insurance, find and receive the medical treatment they so deserve. Often the middle class hard working are often the ones that can not get the help and support needed during such a tough time. The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation is here to help those faced with the challenges of the "system" while offering support, resources and compassion.

It's been a rough one....

Hello everyone, these past two weeks have been very rough for our family. First they told us mom's cancer had spread to her neck & colon. Then after more (agonizing) test for mom thankfully nothing in the neck however it has spread around the colon. It's going to be ok though. Mom is strong & so are we. You know they say "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get" & my wonderful brother (Jeff) says play life like a deck of cards. Like I said before I didn't know what that meant at first, I'm not a poker player! But as the days have gone by I now know what he's talking about. Play them dam cards they are no bodies business. Basically we have been dealt alot. It's been very trying for us as a family to deal with it together & personally. I had a long conversation with my amazing brother (Dan) last night. I was rambling to him about my life’s troubles at this moment & he was telling me how he was having troubles writing a blog when he said you know what if mom says I just can't do this... So we have to be strong together. And remember brothers, mom, pops, & Jazmine we will get through this. As I said before God will only give us what he thinks we can handle i guess that's the deck of cards my brother is talking about. So as we unite together to make this foundation a strong one & help so many other families similar to ours thank you for all you have done to help us. May god bless everyone in some way or another.

With love,

Laura.

www.LizMartocciLungCancerFoundation.org

What a difference a Day makes

So if you stumbled across my blog you most likely know the story of what is going on in my life at the moment. If not please visit my moms website www.LizMartocciLungCancerFoundation.org to read about it. Anyway today has been pretty amazing. We hit the first of many records in our fund raising. In one day we received more donations than my mom used to make in two weeks and in 5 days we have raised more than she used to make in a month. I find it amazing yet sad it takes something like lung cancer to make people unite and pull together during tough times.

I do have to say thank you to everyone that has helped get the word out as well as to those that have donated money. Money is wonderful and money is needed, however one of our goals as a foundation is to bring more awareness to lung cancer. As I type this I am reflecting on what the Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation has committed to do every day, and I am very proud to say again we have accomplished our goals, our vision. These are the goals we strive for each and every day. They are posted on the first page of our website.

•Financially Support those without help insurance so they receive the medical care they so deserve as quickly as possible.

•Address the informational needs of people living with lung cancer and their loved ones.

•Provide compassion and support to those facing the many challenges of lung cancer.

•Increase lung cancer awareness

•Bring optimism to families living with lung cancer

I can say these will never change, everyday we will achieve each one of these bullet points, and I know we will add to the list. As the foundation grows, with the help of wonderful people, we will continue to grow personally and professionally.

Now is it easy to achieve these goals each day? I have to be honest and say NO. Today for example I thought I had all of the 501c3 paperwork to make us a “real” no profit complete and ready. I had a go to guy that was going to take care of it. Well he did, not exactly. My vision was he was going to say ya Dan I can take care of it for you. Instead what he told me is that 501c3’s are not his specialty and he offered me advice as to how I could get it done, and what questions to ask along the way. At first I felt disappointed, then I realized I had just been given a gift. I was just about to learn more about corporate America than I ever cared to know. I read the sites he suggested and then I decided I just needed to “act” on it make the decision and get it done. So I used money that was set to pay my mortgage to hire a company to do all of the paperwork, filing, articles of incorporation and just get this project that is now going to be a life long passion. The awesome part is the company let me split it into 3 payments and my brother and sister both said they would take on a payment. Let me tell you, not one of the 3 of us has money. We are all one paycheck from foreclosure, yet we have a passion and with passion everything else will just fall into place.

I am going to close this blog with one thing. That one thing is “thoughts become things”. One week ago today this foundation was simply a thought. Less than one week into this we are already a six figure a year foundation and we have only just begun. We are going to pass this gift on to so many.

Ok so you know I rarely close with one thing. Almost a month ago, I broke and arrow with my throat, bent rebar with the soft spot in my neck and walked over 1200 degree coals 7 times. After doing all of those things I was left wondering what do I do next? Well my calling has come and it is the Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation.

May god and the universe bless you and those around you,

Dan Hart