Sausalito Shine a Light on Lung Cancer Vigil to be held on Nov. 13 in the U.S.

Nov 3 2012

This event will shine a light on one of the United States' most deadly and overlooked epidemics. Lung cancer kills approximately 160,000 Americans annually - more than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined - and has the worst survival rate of all cancers. In the Bay Area, lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death from 1988 to 2007, accounting for nearly a quarter of all cancer deaths among females and slightly higher for males. An estimated 226,160 new cases of lung cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2012, and of those new cases 80 percent will be in former or never smokers.

The Sausalito Shine a Light on Lung Cancer Vigil is one of hundreds being hosted on Nov. 13 around the United States and internationally in association with the Lung Cancer Alliance to raise awareness of lung cancer. The event will feature speakers including Larry Gerrans, CEO of Sanovas; Dr. Rex Yung, assistant professor of medicine and oncology at Johns Hopkins University; lung cancer survivors and members of the medical community, as well as a moment of silence for those lost to lung cancer and currently battling the disease.

Following the conclusion of the vigil, Sanovas invites attendees on a "Cruise for the Cure" up to the Hawk Hill overlook of the Golden Gate Bridge, one of America's most iconic and recognizable landmarks. Participating cars will depart from Sanovas' headquarters, and drive through the city up to the overlook at Hawk Hill, where they will simultaneously shine their headlights on the bay, symbolically spotlighting lung cancer.