LCA Mourns the Passing of Karen Parles, Beloved Friend and Pioneering Advocate Who Changed the Face of Lung Cancer

Tuesday, February 17, 2009--Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) President & CEO Laurie Fenton-Ambrose issued the following statement today in honor of Karen Parles of Setauket, New York, who died after an 11 year battle, of lung cancer on February 16, 2009:

The entire lung cancer community is deeply, deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved friend and passionate advocate who did more than any other to provide critical information and build public awareness for lung cancer.

Karen was a vivacious 38 year old wife and mother who had never smoked or was otherwise exposed to known carcinogens in her life and was stunned to learn she had lung cancer in 1998. Searching online for answers she recognized the need for far more information than was available at that time.

A Williams College graduate, she put her Master of Library Science degree in service to all those affected by lung cancer by starting the highly acclaimed “lungcanceronline.org” a carefully researched source of information which evaluated, annotated and indexed high-quality lung cancer resources and services. Her website was written up in several medical journals and magazines.

In addition to being the founder and editor of the online information service, for several years she expanded her foundation to award grants to promising research projects.

She also co-authored a highly respected guide entitled; 100 Questions & Answers About Lung Cancer which has been distributed to thousands affected by the disease.

In 2005, Karen received the Catherine Logan Award for outstanding service to survivors from the National Coalition of Cancer Survivors.

And in 2005, Karen agreed to be the “Face of Lung Cancer” in LCA’s first national awareness campaign by appearing in an ad that ran in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and other Washington based public policy journals.

This ad literally changed the face of lung cancer and exposed the stigma of smoking that has thwarted research funding and so unfairly caused lung cancer patients to be blamed for their disease whether they smoked or not.

During all this time, she continued her treatments which became increasingly difficult although she never complained about the physical toll. Her primary concern was always first and foremost for her family: her beloved husband James, a pediatrician, her children Casey and Christopher whom she was determined to see into college, and her parents, Shirley and Howard deLong.

Even as her cancer progressed, Karen continued her selfless contributions through enrollment in clinical trials. She was determined to turn her experience into a benefit for her fellow patients and those at risk for the disease.

We are deeply grateful for the years of support, sage advice and counsel that Karen provided us.

We will always admire her courage and grace.

On behalf of the entire LCA staff and stakeholders, I extend our deepest sympathy to Jamie, Casey and Christopher, and to her parents. We will honor Karen’s life by renewing our commitment to her goal of changing the course of lung cancer -- forever.

Thank you, Karen. We will miss you.