LEWISTON — Free ME from Lung Cancer seeks to reduce the suffering caused by a diagnosis of lung cancer by raising much needed money for research, education and community support. Three Save Your Breath events are set for November in Augusta, South Portland and Lewiston.

“November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and an excellent time to acknowledge and support patients of this too-often forgotten and neglected disease, which kills more people than any other type of cancer,” said Debra Violette, president and founder of Free ME from Lung Cancer and herself a lung cancer survivor.

“The stigma society places on those who have lung cancer makes them feel as though they caused their own illness, regardless of whether or not they smoke,” she said. “We can blow away that destructive haze with better education about what really causes lung cancer and what can be done to prevent or cure it.”

“It is not just a smoker’s disease. Anyone can get lung cancer. If you have lungs you can get lung cancer,” said Violette. “Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer. It is the second leading cause of all deaths. Yet lung cancer research continues to be woefully underfunded in comparison to other major cancers. We can change these statistics one step at a time and that’s what the Save Your Breath events are all about.”

Save Your Breath is hosted by the Free ME from Lung Cancer, a Maine-based nonprofit organization. In the first-ever event in Augusta last year, more than 100 people participated and raised nearly $10,000.

With the success of last year’s event in Augusta, Free ME from Lung cancer has also added events in South Portland and Lewiston. This year, the goal is to raise $50,000 total at the three events with 200 participants at the Augusta event and 100 each at the new events in South Portland and Lewiston.

The second annual Save Your Breath was held in Augusta on Nov. 2.

The first-ever Save Your Breath 5K Fun Run/Walk in South Portland will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at Southern Maine Community College, Jewett Hall, 2 Fort Road.

In Lewiston, Free ME from Lung Cancer will partner with University of Southern Maine – Lewiston Auburn Nursing Community CARE Partnership students Regina Preston, Catherine Prendergast and Chelsea Hebert to host the first Save Your Breath 1K walk on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the USM-LA Campus, 51 Westminster St. Doors open at 9 a.m. The walk begins at 10 a.m. Participants should meet in the South Lobby.

To register, go to www.FreeMEfromLungCancer.org. Online and mail-in registration deadlines have passed. Registration at the event is $24. Those registering on event day are not guaranteed a T-shirt.

For more information on how to help, contact Deb Violette at 207-215-9035 or email her at [email protected].