We are excited to announce that our 2023 Volunteer Leadership & Advocacy Award winner is Heidi Nafman-Onda! This award honors a member of the lung cancer community for their outstanding leadership in volunteerism and advocacy and is awarded annually at GO2’s Lung Cancer Voices Summit.  

Heidi was a fitness trainer and lifelong health enthusiast who was diagnosed with stage 3A non-small cell lung cancer incidentally and without symptoms in 2018. In the fall of 2020, Heidi asked her husband, Pierre, to make a white ribbon out of plywood to hang on the front door of their home to help raise awareness for the disease. Heidi shared photos of their ribbon on social media and was immediately met with demand from other families asking for ribbons of their own.  

With that, The White Ribbon Project was born. Heidi and Pierre began making and shipping these large, white wooden ribbons all over the country to other people diagnosed with lung cancer, caregivers, those who are bereaved, the science and medical communities, cancer centers, industry leaders, advocacy groups and anyone who cares to help increase awareness – each signed by the ribbon’s maker with a handwritten note from Heidi. Within six months, more than 1,000 ribbons were made and shipped across the United States and to many countries around the world.  

The White Ribbon Project has grown quickly, becoming an international movement aimed at building community, increasing awareness and fighting stigma. Heidi has become a trusted friend and valued leader for so many others who have received a lung cancer diagnosis.  

In addition to her work with The White Ribbon Project, Heidi is a dedicated volunteer Phone Buddy at GO2 and a determined advocate for federal lung cancer funding. It is with great appreciation for this work that GO2 chose Heidi as the 2023 recipient of the Lung Cancer Voices Summit Leadership and Advocacy Award.  

Heidi accepted the award on Tuesday, March 21 from GO2 President & CEO, Laurie Fenton Ambrose and Senior Director of Government Affairs, Elridge Proctor.