Thanks to Stroll Magazine – Highland Park West for the featured article about The Happy Lungs Project & Happy Lungs Shopping Card.
From the article:
Austin area businesses step up to fight lung cancer
The Happy Lungs Project is an Austin-based nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for RET-positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. RET-positive lung cancer typically strikes women ages 30-60 who are nonsmokers and live an active, healthy lifestyle. Many of these women are still raising families.
Ilana Stromberg’s Story
Cancer is indiscriminate; it can strike anyone at any time. It is insidious and destructive. The diagnosis of lung cancer is particularly horrifying for a “healthy” nonsmoker, and a return to health may seem unattainable. However, many things look impossible until they are conquered. Today, we are on a journey to beat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
In the fall of 2019, Ilana was diagnosed with stage 2 Non- Small Cell Lung Cancer. With no prior risk or known genetic or environmental factors, her cancer just appeared. She was active, “healthy,” and happy. Being sick seemed completely impossible. She said to herself, “How can I be sick while I feel so healthy?” Unfortunately, patients like Ilana are surprisingly common. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in the United States (1 in 16 people) and the leading cause of cancer deaths. Due to a lack of funding and research, lung cancer occurs half as often as breast cancer but is twice as lethal.
That’s why The Happy Lungs Project was started. With your help, they can raise the money necessary
to fund critical research into drug resistance mechanisms and other dependable therapies, spread information about early tumor sequencing and help hundreds of thousands of people like Ilana live with lung cancer so that one day, they can live without it.
How to help
Retailers and restaurants in the Austin area are signing up for The Happy Lungs Shopping Card program to support medical research on new therapies to beat RET-positive lung cancer. Researchers at four major U.S. cancer centers have joined the efforts to expand their patient registry and find successful treatments to alter fatal outcomes.
The Shopping Card program had two scheduled launch events to introduce this special discount card to the public. They had an event on April 30 at Lilly Pulitzer that kicked off card sales. Another event will take place on Oct. 27th at Diamonds Direct and will launch the shopping card promotional period that runs Oct. 28-Nov. 6. Hearth & Soul also selected The Happy Lungs Project as their May nonprofit partner and hosted an event on May 5th.
Shoppers’ use of the Cards will spur early holiday shopping with 20% discounts, and proceeds will benefit The Happy Lungs Project, a nonprofit foundation.
Here is the program’s outline:
• Shoppers purchase a digital shopping card for $50 from The Happy Lungs Project.
• Presenting the Card will earn a 20% discount on purchases at listed stores and a 10% discount at participating restaurants.
• Retailers and restaurants sign up at no charge.
• Participating merchants will be listed in promotional materials and receive free marketing assets for their locations.
• Sponsoring merchants and shopping centers, with a minimum $250 donation, will be highlighted in promotional materials.
Early positive responses from retailers around Austin include The Domain, South Congress, Westlake, downtown, Lamar, Anderson, Burnet, Far West Blvd., Barton Creek Square, and the Hill Country Galleria. Over fifty retailers have already signed up, with more signing on daily.
Shoppers may purchase their Happy Lungs Shopping Card online at https://shoppingcardaustin.org/.
Happy Lungs Project 214-621-0383 wendy@happylungsproject.org