Jillian’s Dream is thrilled to announce our partnership with Prelude to a Cure, the non-profit arm of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Lung Cancer Center of Excellence. With the direction and vision from the founders Dr.’s Lary Robinson and Scott Antonia we are working together to increase our visibility, advocacy efforts and fundraising goals.

TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER THAN LUNG CANCER. THE RIBBON IS WHITE. JOIN THE FIGHT!

Jillian’s Dream is a grassroots organization dedicated to changing the statistics on lung cancer. We are named for Jillian Miller – a daughter, sister, a nurse who passed away in May 2013 after a ten-month battle with lung cancer. Jillian’s Dream carries on her work in supporting clinical research, ending the stigma of lung cancer, providing better treatments and outcomes.

Paving the Way

No. Signs. No Symptoms. Today 45,000 people under 45 will hear the same words Jillian did “you have lung cancer”. In July 2012 when Jillian was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, no one thought it was possible that someone like her could have lung cancer. As a nurse, Jillian knew that she could make a difference by participating in a clinical trial. Jillian was a warrior for 10 months before she passed away in May 2013. Jillian’s Dream funds clinical trials through our first partnership with the Uniting Against Lung Cancer and the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. Currently we are proud to be affiliated with Prelude to a Cure at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. To date, two initial seed grants have been awarded. Clinical trials will pave the way to new discoveries and treatments.

Ending the Stigma and Raising Awareness that Anyone can get Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the only cancer that has a stigma where a public perception taints how it is treated, funded, and researched. Lung cancer still remains the deadliest, most misunderstood, and least funded of all major cancers. Jillian experienced judgments because of her age and diagnosis. She dealt with them with grace and humility. We participate in awareness campaigns to educate the public through our partnerships with Prelude to a Cure, Moffitt Cancer Center, LUNGevity, Lung Cancer Research Foundation, Team Draft, the Life & Breath Rally, Lung Cancer Social Media Chat (#LCSM), Patient Power, Cure Magazine and the Lung Cancer Alliance.
Advocating Prevention, Early Screening, Research, Clinical Trial and Survivorship
In 1972 the National Cancer Act was passed. New testing criteria for breast, colon and prostate cancers was implemented, which provided the information researchers and oncologists needed for better options and survival rates for those cancers. But lung cancer remained stagnant with little to no funding or research. Since 1987, more women’s lives have been lost due to lung cancer than breast cancer. We told people that if we could prevent lung cancer that was all that was needed. Times have changed, our paradigm is changing and today we are looking at 5 major components in dealing and talking about lung cancer: prevention, early screening/detection, research, clinical trials and survival. Lung cancer is not just a national epidemic but also a world wide one.

Here’s what we want and need:

Prevention: awareness campaigns, education.
Early Screening: low dose Ct screening to catch lung cancer at an earlier stage.
Funding Research: to address the unseen, underrepresented population like Jillian.
Clinical Trials: to provide better, long term options.
Survivors: #433 a day is not acceptable.
Ultimately we want the day when surviving lung cancer is expected and not the exception.

To read more about Jillian’s Dream’s partner, Prelude to a Cure visit: http://www.preludetoacure.com/