Why does finding community matter in lung cancer care? In this episode, lung cancer survivor and advocate Jill Feldman shares her experience, from losing multiple family members to lung cancer to her own diagnosis, as well as her work building patient communities around the world. She discusses how connecting with others has shaped her journey and why community is important for support, information, and advocacy.
Hosts Ann Steagall, RN, BSN, and Misty Shields, MD, PhD, explore with Jill how patients and families can find community, the role of advocacy, and how care teams can support patients and families.
I always say that no amount of therapy could have ever helped me through my losses and then my own diagnosis, like my involvement with the lung cancer community.
-Jill Feldman, lung cancer survivor and advocate
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Key Topics:
- Jill’s experience and advocacy journey: Jill shares her personal connection to lung cancer, her diagnosis, and how she became involved in building patient communities
- The role of community in lung cancer care: Jill explains how connecting with others provides support, shared experience, and access to information
- Finding community after diagnosis: Jill discusses how patients can begin to find support, including online groups, referrals, and taking the first step to connect
- Understanding biomarkers and treatment decisions: Jill explains biomarker testing, why it matters, and how it helps guide treatment choices
- Addressing stigma in lung cancer: Jill discusses how language, perceptions, and assumptions about smoking can impact patients and shares her work to promote more respectful, person-first language
Care teams, communication, and advocacy: Jill discusses how patients can communicate with their care team, advocate for their needs, and how clinicians can support patients and families
Resources:
- LUNGevity support groups and virtual meetups – Opportunities to connect with others experiencing lung cancer
- LUNGevity online communities – Online groups for patients and care partners
- LUNGevity’s peer-to-peer program - Support program connecting people diagnosed with lung cancer with trained survivor mentors
- LUNGevity Patient Gateways - Information and resources specific to your lung cancer type
- EGFR Resisters - Patient-led community founded by Jill Feldman for people living with EGFR-positive lung cancer, offering support, education, and connection