Liz Hoffman

Providing A Voice To Stop the Nation's 2nd Leading Cause of Lung Cancer

One in five people diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked.  

Prevention for your family starts with a simple test of  your home.  

Introduction

    My name is Elizabeth Hoffmann and I’m a survivor of radon induced lung cancer. Although, I have never smoked, my 15-year exposure to dangerous levels of radon in my home resulted in doctors having to remove the cancerous lower lobe of my left lung prior to my 38^th birthday.

     Lucky for me, they caught my cancer early.  The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and EPA blame radon for the deaths of 21,000 Americans every year. But, their deaths, like my cancer, could have been prevented. A simple radon test at the time we bought our home in 1988 would have alerted me to fix our house before we moved in. If I’d only known...

     Since few oncologists provide a potential explanation for the cause, most non-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer never make a connection to radon exposure. I would remain clueless myself, if it hadn’t been for the determination of my family to find out why. My cousin mentioned radon to my father, who tested my house upon my return from the hospital.

     The purpose of this website is two-fold: First, to put a face on radon, empowering sufferers of an apparent radon-induced lung cancer (and their families) with a voice.  While it is obviously too late to prevent our cancer, our stories can convince others to prevent deadly radon exposure by testing and fixing. We can also shape public policy by convincing lawmakers and government agencies to treat the radon issue and lung cancer with the seriousness they deserve.

     Second, to prevent LC victims from remaining clueless.  If you or a family member has been recently diagnosed with lung cancer, it is imperative that you test your home for radon.  The American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST) will mail a free radon test kit to LC patients and their immediate family members.  Simply join CanSAR™ (there is no fee) by registering, providing us with some basic information, and placing your order.

     If you determine radon is the likely cause of your lung cancer, we’ll simply invite you to come forward and share your story.  Together, we can make a difference for generations to come.

Doctors Warn of the Need For Prevention

         “People come into my office and say Doc Price I just don’t understand it.  How can this happen to me? I don’t smoke. Nobody ever smokes around me. How can I have lung cancer?

      While it is true that most of my lung cancer patients have had a lot of tobacco exposure, the ones that are especially sad are the people who have never smoked, have never been around secondhand smoke, who have lived “good clean lives” and lo and behold, they have a cold or bronchitis, and the chest x-ray and the cat scan show they have lung cancer.

     But, it is really hard to convince the public that radon is a problem when the nation’s leading housing authority, HUD, refuses to take action to prevent radon exposure.  They require a termite letter to qualify for a mortgage, yet to my knowledge a termite never killed anybody. Why are they not requiring a radon test?

     HUD is required by law to provide safe, livable housing.  They are ignoring a very serious public health issue.”

Dr. Lane Mathis Price, MD

Medical Director & Radiation Oncologist

Decatur General Oncology Center

     “We know the direct association between radon and lung cancer. But to the people at risk, it’s a totally unperceivable problem because you can’t feel it; you don’t smell it and you don’t see it.

     Lung cancer kills more Americans each year (160,000) than breast, prostate and colorectal cancers combined. The EPA estimates 21,000 of them are the result of radon-induced lung cancer. That’s nearly 60 per day!”

Dr. Rodney Landrenau, MD

Thoracic Surgeon

Director of the Comprehensive Lung Center

University of Pittsburg Medical Center

     “Never underestimate the importance of prevention in all aspects of your life.  If you’re a lung cancer victim aware of all the ways it is impacting you and your family – you’d be kicking yourself if you knew something a simple as a radon detection device would have allowed you to prevent this from occurring.”

Dr. Michael Dick, MD

Director of Internal Medicine

Decatur Adult Medicine

Survivors Speak Out!

HOME

Close the Door When You Leave

By Michael Hayes Samuelson

I never asked you to visit. ..at least I don’t believe I did
Maybe…I don’t know
It’s so confusing

At any rate, you’re a rude guest
You take my energy,
Rob my sleep, and with a stick
You swirl and distort my dreams

All right; You are here…for now
But understand
There are two places
That are forever off limits

You may not tread on my spirit You may not occupy my soul

I have heard of your visits to others
I know the damage you leave in your path
The wanton disregard for innocence, value and what some would call fairness

Also, I hear that laughter confuses you; that good foods make you feel bad, and
That nothing causes you more distress than an autumn sunset,
The forever blue of a summer sky,
Or the unconditional radiance of a child’s smile

Listen and understand
You might pilfer my closets, empty all the drawers, and trash my house
But there are two places forever off limits

You may not tread on my spirit You may not occupy my soul

Do not mistake my nausea, weakness, and pain as signs of your victory
They are simply small dents in the armor I wear to fight you
Instead, look deeply into my eyes

They will once again remind you that there are two places forever off limits

You must not…
May not…
Will not tread on my spirit

You must not…
May not…
Will not occupy my soul