Kelcey Harrison Runs from New York to San Francisco to Raise Awareness and Funds for Lung Cancer Research

Harvard Student Supports Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and Continues 3,500 Mile Journey in Memory of her Childhood Friend

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF) today announced Kelcey Harrison's progress on the Great Lung Run. She has reached Arizona, the eleventh state on her journey, running her 2500th mile and is now —960 miles from San Francisco, the ultimate destination. Harrison, the first 24-year-old Harvard grad to run across the country in less than 125 days, continues her journey to raise awareness and funds for all Lung Cancer patients. Harrison teamed up with BJALCF—the leading patient-founded, focused and driven non-profit dedicated to ending Lung Cancer and its young people's movement Jill's Legacy®, a subsidiary of BJALCF. Harrison hopes to draw attention to the most deadly form of cancer and raise money for research. Now in Arizona, Harrison has run an average of 30 – 40 miles a day since she departed New York in July.

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"My mission is to honor Jill's memory and achieve her dream of beating Lung Cancer for all Lung Cancer patients – big time!" explained Harrison." My friend Jill was a 22-year-old never smoker when she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. It's important to share the message that anyone, even young athletes like Jill, can get Lung Cancer. I hope that by running across the country and showing what my lungs can do, I inspire people to join the fight against Lung Cancer – the most deadly form of cancer in both men and women worldwide. My ultimate goal is to help all people with Lung Cancer. That was Jill's dream and we intend to finish it."

Harrison's trip, known as the Great Lung Run, has been documented throughout Twitter, Facebook, the BJALCF and Jill's Legacy websites. Harrison asks the daily question, #WhatCanYourLungsDo?, prompting her friends and followers to join the fight against Lung Cancer. So far, she has received a tremendous response, with children as young as 7 getting involved in the fight against Lung Cancer. Families across the country have hosted Harrison as she passed through their towns and many have run alongside her in support.

"Kelcey is my hero and my hope is that people will listen, take action and change the atrocious lack of funding for research for this disease. BJALCF and Jill's Legacy are taking a seat at the table of progress in Lung Cancer research and together their voices are resounding in the halls of health care so that all Lung Cancer patients will have a voice." said Bonnie J. Addario, founder of BJALCF and Lung Cancer survivor.

Harrison is scheduled to arrive in the San Francisco Bay Area in five weeks. A welcome home celebration of Harrison's journey, party and fundraiser will be hosted at Saint Ignatius High School in San Francisco on December 6^th. Many sponsorship opportunities are available.

The Great Lung Run was featured on Monday, October 22 on the nationally syndicated daytime talk show, The Doctors. Click here to view.

How to Get Involved
For complete details on Kelcey's adventure, visit www.thegreatlungrun.com. To donate or sponsor The Great Lung Run, CLICK HERE or contact [email protected] or 949.293.2093. Sponsorships available from $10.00 - $35,000. All proceeds will go to Young Investigator Lung Cancer research or projects designed to significantly impact survival, catalyze and accelerate the discovery, development and delivery of more effective treatment options for lung cancer patients through the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, and its sister Foundation, the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI).

Interviews and Press Inquiries
For interviews and press inquiries, please contact [email protected], +1-415-357-1278.

BJALCF and Jill's Legacy are hosting Your Next Step is the Cure® 5k walk/runs all over the country and Jog for Jill 5k's across college campuses. To participate in an event near you visit http://www.lungcancerfoundation.org/events/. To host an event in your city, contact [email protected].

About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
BJALCF is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused, and patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating Lung Cancer through research, early detection, education, and treatment. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change. BJALCF was established on March 6, 2006 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised over nine million dollars for Lung Cancer research. www.lungcancerfoundation.org

About Jillian Costello and Jill's Legacy
Jill's Legacy was established on March 11, 2011, as a subsidiary of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, a 501(c) 3, founded on March 1, 2006. Jill Costello was diagnosed in June 2009 with Stage IV Lung Cancer and began fundraising efforts with Bonnie one month after being diagnosed. She came to work for the foundation in April 2010. Her DREAM was to end Lung Cancer for all patients and those yet to be diagnosed. Jill lost her battle with Lung Cancer at 22-years-young on June 24, 2010. www.jillslegacy.org

About the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI)
ALCMI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, established in February, 2008, and a sister organization of BJALCF.  With offices in California and Connecticut, and dozens of member institutions in the United States and Europe, ALCMI is dedicated to catalyzing and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of new and more effective treatment options for Lung Cancer patients. In response to widely-acknowledged and systematic barriers to progress against Lung Cancer, ALCMI developed and launched an inaugural research program -- a targeted, multi-institutional biorepository.  The purpose is to facilitate the application of known biomarkers to patients presenting today, and to establish a collection of biospecimens essential for the discovery and validation of new biomarkers for improved diagnostics, treatments and patient outcomes. www.alcmi.net

SOURCE Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation