Local Lung Cancer Advocate Will Travel to Washington, D.C. on the 5-Year Anniversary of Wife’s Passing to Urge Lawmakers to Support Lifesaving Research and Public Health Funding

Woonsocket, Rhode Island resident and lung cancer advocate Janet Peters will travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with her members of Congress during the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE Advocacy Day on March 20. As a part of the nationwide event, Ms. Peters will join more than 40 other people across the country who have been impacted by lung cancer to ask lawmakers to support $51.3 billion in research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and $11.6 billion in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ms. Peters lost her loving wife and partner of 23 years - Karen Iannella - to Stage 4 Lung Cancer at 5:33 p.m. on March 20th, 2019. Karen was just 53 years young and passed away 11 days after receiving the news that she had Stage 4 Lung Cancer which had spread to multiple organs outside of her right lung.  This year on the 5th anniversary of Karen’s passing, Janet will be working to help eradicate this devastating disease.

Ms. Peters said, "I know what it feels like to have someone taken away from you to lung cancer. Since that day, my life's mission has been to raise awareness about lung disease alongside the American Lung Association to help protect others from going through the pain I did. By increasing awareness and funding for lung cancer research, we can create a world where lung disease no longer threatens the lives of our loved ones - and that's something worth fighting for."

During Advocacy Day, Ms. Peters will speak with Senator Reed, Senator Whitehouse, and Congressmembers Gabe Amo and Seth Magaziner to share her personal experience with lung cancer and explain why investments in public health and research funding are important to her.  

Thousands of LUNG FORCE Heroes from across the country have raised their voices since 2014 to urge their members of Congress in Washington, D.C., to support robust, sustainable and predictable federal funding increases for lung cancer research, and prevention, as well as quality and affordable healthcare. LUNG FORCE Heroes have succeeded in helping increase NIH lung cancer research funding by over 130% since the inception of LUNG FORCE in 2014. NIH has also funded research that has led to new treatments that are saving lives today. Since 2016, over 50 new therapies have been approved by the FDA to treat lung cancer – giving life and hope to those impacted by this disease.

Ms. Peters encourages others in Rhode Island advocate for lung cancer research and healthcare protections by contacting their members of Congress, which they can do at Lung.org/AdvocacyDay. Learn more about the LUNG FORCE initiative at LUNGFORCE.org.