Hope Rising

As we begin our new year, there has been a word floating in the air and in our conversations that has been missing from our thoughts for a long time: Hope. We have hope that we are finally seeing a way past an incredibly stressful and difficult year of our lives.

While the pandemic isn’t ending tomorrow and our economic well-being is not instantly rebounding, faith in the future is brighter. The vaccine is now being distributed, which is hopeful news. And the work done to solve this global problem is a lesson in the power of a singular focus.

Imagine directing this same type of combined energy and collaboration to solve other human challenges; for us, lung cancer is top of mind.  It is why we’re taking our accomplishments, focus, positivity, and lessons learned in 2020 boldly into this new year. Focus and collaboration with others to improve outcomes for patients across the entire continuum of care will be the differentiator that transforms lung cancer survivorship.

We will look to the “silver linings” that emerged from grappling with the pandemic, such as the benefits of telehealth, digital health and other innovations that brought care to people in more efficient, safe and personalized ways. We expect these innovations to be a constant, not an exception to the rule.  Agility, problem solving, and collaboration will be the tenets guiding us forward.

We enter 2021 with a renewed sense of purpose and profound gratitude to our community who provided for and participated in our critical work. We share a united purpose knowing that COVID-19 or not, lung cancer is not slowing down or going away, and that the work of GO2 for Lung Cancer is more important than ever.

We have an ambitious goal of doubling survival rates of those with lung cancer by 2025. Here’s how we will get there:

• Increase the rate of lung cancers diagnosed early
• Increase the rate of comprehensive biomarker testing and use of precision medicine
• Increase the reach and the impact of community engagement
• Improve quality of life for patients diagnosed with lung cancer

Look for more details on initiatives supporting these outcomes as we move through the year.

REFLECTION

This new start is also a perfect time to reflect on the last 12 months and explore what we learned and how we adapted. It is also time to celebrate what was accomplished. We’ve prepared a video review to reinforce how we served the lung cancer community in the difficult year of 2020. Proudly—we didn’t miss a beat.

This year will have its own challenges, but we are lifting a page from the history book of unprecedented vaccine development for COVID-19 and challenging our community of patients, caregivers, advocates, doctors, researchers, public health leaders, and industry partners to bring the power of common purpose to defeat the cause of the highest number of cancer deaths. The full force of human spirit and collaboration can help us end the lives lost, needlessly, to lung cancer.

Whatever it takes. Whatever the need. We get it done together.