November = Lung Cancer Awareness Month

It’s here…Friday is HERE I hope everyone had an amazing week!

Last night’s dinner was a bit of an experiment that came out totally awesome, I must say!

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

I sauteed Onion & Garlic, added Extra Lean Ground Turkey & Diced Tomatoes. (I swear it’s like I start every recipe like this, HA)

 Before I started cooking this I made Spaghetti Squash following the same directions as this post. Once everything was done I started layering all of my ingredients.

•  Spaghetti Squash
• Turkey Sauce
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Mozarella Cheese
• Spaghetti Squash

I did quite a few layers and baked it for about 20 minutes at 375

 I knew it was done when I could see the cheese getting a bit crispy and brown

I really enjoyed it, as did The Boo! He’s a good sport!

I have a TON of leftovers so it’s definitely a good thing The Boo liked it…he’ll be eating it for a while!

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November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

 I’m coming up on my 9 month No Smoking anniversary! I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again; I’ve never felt better in my entire life and I only wish I would have done this sooner—everyday I just hope that I did it in time to save myself from the horrible side effects that come from smoking.

 I’ve never gotten too much into my mom and how she passed away exactly, I’ve mentioned it was cancer but don’t think I’ve ever said what kind—well it was Lung Cancer. This might explain to a lot of you why it is that I’m so obsessed with staying healthy and doing what I can to improve my life. Losing my mom to cancer was definitely the hardest thing I have ever had to go through so far and I’ve finally reached a place in my life where instead of dwelling, I’d rather do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t happen to me.

 The workouts, the eating healthy, it’s not all because I want to be in the best shape or look great, it’s because it makes me FEEL amazing and it’ll help keep me healthy for the future. I try to include a variety of cancer fighting foods into my diet as it has been said that eating more fruits and vegetables really does lower the risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach and colon cancer.

 Quitting smoking obviously wasn’t easy. I had done it MANY times before and always found myself back again, lighting up. I’m ashamed to even say, that I continued smoking for years after my mom passed away, CRAZY right? As hard as it was when I finally did it, I knew my mom would be so incredibly proud and it continuously encourages me to stay on track!

 I’ve ALWAYS wanted a huge family and I want to be around for as long as I possibly can so that I can  enjoy every moment with everyone I love—I know quitting was what I had to do in order for this to happen, as well as make the life changes I needed to.

 I’m not going to lie, there ARE those days when I feel like I could totally give in and go buy a pack of cigarettes. But I think about how incredible I feel at that moment and I know that if I do it, that feeling will quickly disappear.  

 Since this is the month of awareness, I thought I would post some facts about the disease

 I got the following information at:  http://www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org/index.cfm

  Lung Cancer in the United States: Facts

• Approximately 219,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the U.S. each year – over 103,000 women and nearly 116,000 men. ¹
• Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. ¹
• Lung cancer is responsible for more than 28% of all cancer-related deaths every year. ¹
• Smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer. Approximately 87 percent of lung cancer cases occur in people who are currently smoking or have previously smoked. ²
• Although the risk of developing lung cancer goes down with smoking cessation, a significant risk remains for 20 years or longer after quitting. ^{2, 3}
• Approximately 50 percent of all lung cancers (106,500) occur in people who have already quit smoking. ⁴
• Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and the leading cause of lung cancer among never-smokers. ⁵
• More people who have never smoked die from lung cancer than do people from AIDS or liver cancer or ovarian cancer. ^{6, 7}
• Risk factors for lung cancer other than those from smoking include lung scarring from tuberculosis, and occupational or environmental exposures to radon, second-hand smoke, radiation, asbestos, air pollution, arsenic and some organic chemicals. ¹
• Only 16 percent of lung cancer patients are diagnosed before their disease has spread to other parts of their bodies, (e.g., regional lymph nodes and beyond), compared to more than 50 percent of breast cancer patients, and 90 percent of prostate cancer patients. ^{1, 8}
• Men’s mortality (death) rates from lung cancer began declining more than 20 years ago, while women’s lung cancer mortality rates have been rising for decades and just recently began to stabilize. ⁹
• African Americans experience the highest incidence of lung cancer, and the highest death rate. ¹⁰
• Roughly 84 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer die within five years of their diagnosis, compared to 11 percent of breast cancer and less than 1 percent of prostate cancer patients. ¹
• Less money is spent on lung cancer research than on research on other cancers. In 2007, the National Cancer Institute estimated it spent only it spent only $1,415 per lung cancer death compared to $13,991 per breast cancer death, $10,945 per prostate cancer death, and $4,952 per colorectal cancer. ^{1, 11}

How Can I Reduce My Risk?

• If you smoke, get the help you need to quit (state quit lines can be accessed at www.naquitline.org or by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW).
• If you live in an area with high levels of radon coming from the bedrock (see www.epa.gov/radon ), consider having your house tested for radon exposure. If radon levels are too high, a device can be installed to reduce them.
• Eat a well-balanced diet and exercise. These activities help reduce the risk of all cancers.
• If you smoke now or smoked in the past, or have a family history of lung cancer, consider speaking to your doctor about screening tests that may be available to you. Cancer is most treatable when it is detected early.

Looking for a way that YOU can help raise awareness? Click Here  & Here

I hope my story can help at least 1 person make the decision to quit—it’s never too late to turn things around!