Sacred Breath Month
The American Indian Cancer Foundation (AICAF) celebrates our 5th annual Sacred Breath event during November’s National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for Native people; our communities also have the highest smoking rate in the nation.
Throughout the month, AICAF aims to improve lung health in our communities by:
• Raising awareness of lung cancer disparities in Indian Country
• Encouraging community members to engage in healthy lung practices, like getting screened
or participating in traditional activities or movement
• Keeping traditional tobacco sacred through the promotion of commercial tobacco avoidance
and cessation
Ways to Get Involved
Honor.
Cherish relatives impacted by a lung cancer diagnosis. Listen to their stories, learn from their wisdom, and celebrate their sacred lives. Encourage a relative diagnosed with lung cancer or a cancer caregiver to attend AICAF’s monthly virtual cancer support circle.
Learn.
Engage with us throughout November as we provide lung cancer resources, toolkits, and webinars. Stay informed about lung health and share our educational materials with your loved ones! Check out our 2023 Evaluation Report here.
Get Screened.
Talk to your health care provider to discuss your screening options or schedule your next lung cancer screening. Talk to your loved ones about the importance of prevention, early detection, and getting screened. Early detection improves the likelihood of favorable health outcomes. Find more information on when to get screened for lung cancer on our website. As always, be sure to schedule an appointment to get screened if you think you have symptoms.
Spread the Word.
Share what you have learned by using the hashtag #SacredBreath so we can see how you are raising awareness! Tell your friends, family, and coworkers about our campaign and ask them to share posts from our social media toolkit to get your network involved.
Participate.
Join AICAF during one of our special virtual gatherings this month as we honor #SacredBreath. Check out the flyer and register here.