Events

When Rachel S. talks about her mom, Jan, you can still feel the energy she brought into every room. Jan was hilarious, dramatic in the best way, endlessly curious, and deeply kind, the type of person who made everyone feel special. She loved through food, through knitting, and through gathering people together.

In late September 2024, Rachel and her family were blindsided by a stage 4 (IV) lung cancer diagnosis. Just months later, on January 17, 2025, Jan passed away. The loss was sudden and devastating, but her spark never faded.

Today, Rachel and her family honor Jan’s life by coming together each year at GO2’s Sacramento 5K Walk/Run in her memory, turning grief into connection and action. We sat down with Rachel to learn more about her mom’s life, legacy, and the impact she continues to have on everyone who loved her.

Tell us about Jan

If I were introducing my mom at a gathering, there’s a strong chance people would already know her – or she would have already made herself known. She was genuinely hilarious. The kind of person who could tell a story and have an entire table crying with laughter. She was loud in the best way, dramatic, animated, obsessed with true crime, and completely unafraid to strike up a conversation with anyone. People loved her. I mean truly loved her. She had fans. But underneath all of that personality was someone deeply kind and interested in people. She made you feel special. That was her magic.

What were some of the things she was most passionate about – hobbies, traditions, routines, or little quirks that made her her?

After I left for college, her best friend taught her to knit. That turned into hundreds of beanies and blankets for family, friends, grandchildren – even cancer organizations. She was also the quintessential Jewish mom – an incredible cook and host. Holidays and gatherings at our house were sacred. Feeding people was how she loved them.

Can you share a moment or memory that feels especially representative of who she was?

My mom would move mountains for my sister and me. In 1998 she surprised us with Backstreet Boys tickets and a trip to Las Vegas – and then surprised us again with a second night and front row seats. That kind of over-the-top joy was so her. After she passed, they announced a Vegas residency, and my dad, sister, and I went. It felt like she made it happen.

When she was diagnosed, what do you remember most about that time – emotionally or practically — for your family?

It was a living nightmare. One day she was healthy, and the next we were told it was stage 4 (IV) lung cancer. By the time we had answers in late September, tumors had fractured her spine, and she was in bed until she passed on January 17, 2025.

Everything was hard. She couldn’t move, so every appointment required enormous coordination. We were incredibly fortunate to have neighbors and lifelong friends who stepped up in extraordinary ways.

Even with that support, it was overwhelming. There are so many unknowns with a diagnosis like this, which is why guidance and community around lung cancer matter so much.

How did she approach life in the months that followed her diagnosis?

She was still herself. Sassy. Funny. Curious. Even from bed, she wanted to know all of the gossip. She still made jokes. That spark never left her.  

What kind of impact did she have on her family, friends, and neighbors?

The number of people who showed up for her and for us told me everything I needed to know about her impact.

She built real relationships. With neighbors. With lifelong friends. With our friends. With people she met once and somehow remembered forever. She made people feel seen and important. That kind of energy doesn’t disappear.

Since her passing, how have you seen her legacy live on in your family or community?

Her knitting is everywhere. Her recipes are still in rotation. We still host. We still gather.

But more than anything, she changed how we live. There’s a depth now. A perspective you don’t get unless you’ve experienced loss like this. We don’t sweat the small stuff the same way anymore.

Can you describe what motivated you to participate in   GO2’s Sacramento 5K Walk/Run in her honor?

Grief is disorienting. I needed community and I needed direction. I needed to turn heartbreak into action. If I couldn’t save my mom, I wanted to help save someone else’s. Leading the 5K in her honor felt like the most meaningful way to do that.

What does it mean to you to have family and friends come together at this event to celebrate her life?

We formed our team just a month after she passed. It was still so raw, but we needed it.

Seeing that many people show up for her – walking, donating, wearing her name – was incredibly healing. It reminded us how much she meant and that we were helping fund real progress in her honor.

How does this event help shift the narrative around lung cancer from loss and stigma to community, celebration, and hope?

Cancer is everywhere. It’s happening younger. It’s happening to nonsmokers. It’s happening to people who “did everything right. “Events like this help dissolve isolation. They replace stigma with community. They remind families that they are not alone. And, they fund real progress.

Grief can be incredibly lonely. This makes it collective, and collective grief can become collective hope.

If you had to sum up what you hope readers understand about your mom, what would you want them to take away?

There will never be enough time with the people we love. My mom lived loudly, generously, and with joy. I hope people step away from the noise of daily life and remember that right now is what we have. Don’t wait to show up. Don’t wait to say the thing. Live bigger while you can.

Honor your loved ones by joining a GO2 5K Walk/Run near you, or by starting your own team. Every step helps fund programs, research, and resources that ensure no one faces lung cancer alone. Find an event and join us!   

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GO2 for Lung Cancer will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its signature “Simply the Best” Gala on Saturday, November 15, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

This year, the organization will recognize Boehringer Ingelheim with the 2025 GO2 Excellence Award in Advancing Innovative Precision Medicine for its leadership in developing groundbreaking oncology therapies and steadfast commitment to patients.

“We are grateful to GO2 for this honor and for recognizing Boehringer’s progress in pioneering oncology innovations in areas of high unmet need,” said Vicky Brown, U.S. senior vice president and head of Oncology and Emerging Areas, Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are committed to putting patients at the center of everything we do and look forward to continuing to work alongside GO2 and the lung cancer community to make meaningful advances that transform the lives of people with cancer.”

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths. More than 230,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2025, and one in five have no smoking history. The disease is increasingly impacting young women with no known risk factors. Yet when detected early, lung cancer is often treatable—and even curable.

GO2 has been the go-to resource for people navigating lung cancer diagnosis, providing individualized assistance, connections to expert care, access to clinical trials, patient-centered research, and the latest information to improve survival.

“As we celebrate the 20th year of our Simply the Best Gala, it is fitting to honor a partner like Boehringer Ingelheim, whose innovation and patient-focused mission embody the progress we have been striving toward,” said Laurie Ambrose, president and CEO of GO2 for Lung Cancer. “Boehringer is helping reshape what it means to face lung cancer, and together we are creating a future with more survivors and more hope.”