Wantage resident to take part in lung cancer walk

WANTAGE — Ten percent.
That is the two-year survival rate that Ashley Jackson's father, Paul, faced when he was diagnosed with lung cancer in November of 2015. After two years, the rate goes down.
Free to Breathe, a national nonprofit lung cancer research and advocacy organization, hopes to double that survival rate by 2022. They will hold the 7th Annual Lung Cancer Walk of Northwest New Jersey on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Horseshoe Lake Park in Succasunna in an effort to raise awareness, and funds, for the cause.
Among the walkers will be Ashley Jackson of Wantage.
"My father was diagnosed with lung cancer in November of 2015, right before Thanksgiving," she recalls "After he was diagnosed, he underwent chemotherapy immediately due to a large tumor in his chest. Obviously this was a huge shock to us since we didn't know any of this was coming our way. My world felt like it was falling down around me — how could my father have cancer? Why did that have to happen to him? Never in a million years would I have thought I would have to deal with that. But life throws you curve balls and this one was a fast one. There were lots of tears, worried waiting room visits, and also smiles and hugs from my dad. And that somehow made it better, I think for all of us."
Once diagnosed, Paul, who also lives in Wantage, underwent chemotherapy for 3-4 days a week, for about a month and a half.
"He was constantly tired, but honestly never seemed to let this bother him," Ashley Jackson said. "It could be that he didn't want us to notice or to worry, but I was surprised with how he handled the situation. He made jokes about how he was only losing some of his hair, and how he didn't know how to go out in public with out a mustache."
Nearly a year later, Paul is doing much better. After two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, he made quite a few friends at Morristown Hospital,and at St. Claire's in Denville.
"I think the best thing is that he isn't letting this get him down, and continues to live his life the way he wants to. I think we often forget about his illness, because our family isn't letting cancer define him and how he is going to live," Ashley said.
Last year’s Northern New Jersey Free to Breathe Lung Cancer Walk brought in 486 participants from throughout the area and raised over $77,000 for lung cancer research.
When Ashley first heard about the event, she knew she wanted to participate.
"This is my first year participating in this event, and I am very excited to be part of it," she said. "Obviously it hits home much harder when someone you are close with is affected by any type of cancer, let alone lung cancer. I just want to do my part, no matter how small, to show I care and to raise awareness for this disease. There should be no reason that a family has to go through the hard journey of hospital visits, sickness from the harsh drugs, or even losing a loved one as a result of lung cancer."
The event includes a welcome rally, kids’ dash, and one- or two- mile walk on a picturesque course that winds around baseball field and the lake. In addition to the walk, this year’s event will feature a bake sale, family friendly activities, drawings, and on DJ spinning tunes.
Registration is now open. To register, visit www.freetobreathe.org/get-involved/northernnj.  Online registration before September 28 is $25 and participants can register as individuals or as a team.  
The fee includes entry into the event, a 2016 Free to Breathe t-shirt, refreshments and entertainment. Registration for the Walk begins at 9 a.m, with a welcoming at 10 a.m. followed by the Kids' Dash and then the Walk. The event wraps up around noon.
"This is a great day of fun for a serious cause," said Jim Dennison, an event organizer and local lung cancer survivor of his own. "You can get lung cancer in multiple ways, whether you are a smoker or not."
The current survival rate for lung cancer on any kind is a mere 17 percent, compared to 89 percent for breast cancer and 99 percent for prostate cancer, yet it is among the least funded.
With funding raised through the Cancer Walk and other Free to Breathe events, Ashley Jackson and her father are hopeful that the group will be able to meet its goal of doubling the survival rate, and more people can become miracle survivors until, eventually, survival might become the norm.