PP Language Lessons
EasyHealthSeptember 12, 2025

From Diagnosis to Advocacy: Bonnie Addario's Work on Lung Cancer

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Key Vocabulary

survivor /sərˈvaɪvər/

a person who lives after a serious illness
Example: She is a cancer survivor.

foundation /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/

an organization that helps people or funds work
Example: She started a foundation for patients.

diagnosed /ˈdaɪəɡnoʊzd/

to be told by a doctor the name of an illness
Example: She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004.

📖 Article

Bonnie J. Addario was a business leader and a lung cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with stage IIIB lung cancer in 2004 and she fought the disease.

She founded the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation in 2006 and the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute in 2008. Those groups worked to help patients, support research, and teach about early detection. In 2019 her foundation joined with the Lung Cancer Alliance to make GO2 for Lung Cancer. Bonnie died on August 25, 2025 at age 77 in San Carlos, California. She also worked to end the stigma about lung cancer and to show that non-smokers can get this disease. Her work helped fund studies and connect patients to doctors.

118 words

❓ Quiz

Q1. Who founded the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation?
Q2. When was she diagnosed with stage IIIB lung cancer?
Q3. When did Bonnie die?

💬 Discussion

1.

Do you know someone who has faced a serious illness? What happened?

2.

Have you ever learned about a health cause through a family member or friend? What did you learn?

3.

What do you think people can do to help others who are sick?