Bonnie Addario Discusses the Stigma of Lung Cancer

Bonnie Addario, a lung cancer survivor and founder of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF), discusses the prevalent stigma that lung cancer is a self-inflicted disease caused solely by smoking.

Addario believes the stigma exists not only within the general public but also among medical professionals. As a result, lung cancer research receives less funding and fewer physicians pursue it as a specialty.

In an example, Addario explains that people with lung cancer do not look or act any differently than anyone else. She further emphasizes that stigmas are wrong and that every patient should receive the same care, whether they smoked or not.