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LISA SWANEY
2 year participant of the Lung Run
Connection to Lung Cancer:
Lost her grandfather, Albert Mance, to lung cancer in 1989
I run the Lung Run in memory of my grandfather and to show my friends lung health beats lung cancer!”
Lisa Swaney...In Her Own Words…
This year, as I did last year, I am running the Lung Run in memory of my grandfather, Albert Mance. He passed away in November of 1989 from respiratory failure and lung cancer. As a toddler, he was my best friend and the most loving grandfather anyone could ever ask for. I was more prepared for pre-school than anyone I knew after my grandad taught me to read by age 3. Also, he built me a playhouse, by hand, that still stands over 20 years later. While I was only 4 years old when he died, I still remember a few moments we shared together. However, I am most saddened by the fact that my brother, who is 5 years younger than me, was born just 4 months after my grandfather's death. My best friend never got the chance to meet my new baby brother.
We miss my grandfather every day, and wish he could have been here to see us grow up. Now, as a young adult, I cringe when I see my friends smoking for no reason. I don't want their grandchildren growing up without a loving grandparent just because they chose to smoke as young adults. I run the Lung Run in memory of my grandfather and to show my friends lung health beats lung cancer!