Award winning singer Patti LaBelle spoke to TheRoot in an interview regarding her 2 sisters that she lost to lung cancer in the early 1980’s. Having experienced the trauma that lung cancer has caused first hand, she joined the American Lung Organisation.
“[Lung cancer] is something I didn’t know very much about, even [after] losing two sisters. I never was aware because of how quickly you’re diagnosed and how quickly you die” she said.
LaBelle is using her power as a famous artist in order to help raise awareness of the issue so that lives can be saved. Although lung cancer has a huge impact in America, Lung cancer still largely effects the UK as it is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in the UK.
“Lung cancer is not generally thought of as a women’s health issue, but it is a women’s health issue, and we really want that message to be conveyed to women,” she said.
Even if you don’t know anyone with cancer, it is still important to raise awareness and to help make a difference.
LaBelle said she’s going to “talk about it for not just November but for the rest of my life.”
