On May 18, 2025, about 600 people will gather in Beverly, Massachusetts, to celebrate the 12th annual 5k run and 1.5-mile walk benefitting LUNGSTRONG, a nonprofit organization focused on funding lung cancer research that was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital patient Diane Legg.
Diane, known for her vibrant personality and relentless advocacy for lung cancer research, passed away in December 2024, after a 20-year battle with lung cancer. The grief felt by her family and friends is palpable, but so too is the joy she brought to those who knew her. Her loved ones share that Diane was a force who lived life to the fullest, running half marathons, skiing and enjoying time with her husband, Dave, and their three sons.
“She was an ambassador for people with lung cancer, as well as a resource. Because she lived with cancer for so long, she could understand the different phases someone goes through on that journey.”
“Diane was so fun; she loved playing cards, and she loved staying up late. She lived for today,” says Jill O’Leary, Diane’s friend and a LUNGSTRONG board member. “Most of all, she was selfless — inspiring and giving to those around her.”
“I met Diane through her advocacy and involvement in raising money for lung cancer research,” says Lecia Sequist, MD, MPH, director of the Cancer Early Detection and Diagnostics Program and medical oncologist at Mass General. “Over the years, we became friends and collaborators. She was an ambassador for people with lung cancer, as well as a resource. Because she lived with cancer for so long, she could understand the different phases someone goes through on that journey.”
“Diane touched the lives of so many patients and families through her advocacy work and through her commitment to supporting the lung cancer community,” says Zosia Piotrowska, MD, thoracic oncologist at Mass General and Diane’s primary oncologist. “She would always take the time to speak to someone dealing with a new lung cancer diagnosis. Most of all, she gave patients hope that life with lung cancer could be vibrant and full.”
The Long Road of Evolving Care
Diane was originally diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer in 2004. She was treated with surgery and chemotherapy, but, unfortunately, her cancer returned as stage IV just two years later. At the time, treatments were limited, and the survival rate was hovering around one year. But Diane beat the odds and lived nearly 20 years — in part due to her participation in multiple clinical trials, which she believed were essential to both living longer and advancing the standard of care for future lung cancer patients.
Today, the landscape of care is wildly different, thanks to incredible advances in lung cancer screening and treatment, progress made through cutting-edge research and increased funding to support it. Still, according to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States and around the world. And, while lung cancer is more deadly to women than breast cancer, the disease garners fewer headlines.
One reason for this may be the misperception that smoking is the only cause of lung cancer. Data shows that air pollution is a major contributor, and other factors like family history, occupation and radon exposure are also important. Like many diseases, such misunderstandings can lead to increased stigma and can silence patients from being open about their diagnosis out of fear of being blamed for their illness, inevitably slowing progress. With less visibility, lung cancer research has received less funding, which is essential in the quest to improve treatment and, hopefully, find a cure.
Diane recognized this challenge and advocated to help shape policy that would push more dollars toward lung cancer research.
“She was a visionary. She knew what the gaps were in the road to finding a cure and she had ideas about how to fill them,” says Dr. Sequist. “She had a large, devoted community of supporters, and she rallied them to help in the fight.”
Filling Gaps in Funding
Diane created LUNGSTRONG in 2011 with the mission to raise funds for innovative research so that lung cancer could evolve from a deadly disease to a chronic one. Since its inception, LUNGSTRONG has donated more than $8 million to lung cancer research, including more than $2 million to Mass General’s Center for Thoracic Cancers from an annual 5k race.
“The money raised by Diane and LUNGSTRONG has fueled research on the whole spectrum of lung cancer care, including screening, treatment and the management of treatment-related side effects and complications.” says Dr. Sequist. “It is vital to our efforts and progress.”
Unlike many other sources of funding available to researchers, the money raised by LUNGSTRONG provides unrestricted funds, which allow physician-scientists to fill gaps from other sources. This flexibility also permits the research team, especially young innovators whose work is not yet well-established, to think “outside the box” in pursuit of transformative treatment options.
“Diane had a passion for supporting junior investigators,” says Dr. Sequist. “She worked tirelessly to ensure they could get the funding they needed at a time in their careers when they are most vulnerable. In doing so, she has helped some of the best and brightest stay focused on biomedical research.”
Honoring the Past and the Future
Since Diane’s death, there have been quite a few difficult “firsts” without her. The May 18 race will be another, when, as family, friends and community supporters gather in Beverly’s Cherry Hill Industrial Park. This year, they aim to raise more than $100,000 to advance therapy options for the next generation of lung cancer patients.
“It will certainly be difficult to be at a large LUNGSTRONG event without Diane there, speaking to the crowd about the importance of raising money for lung cancer research,” says Beth Vossler, Diane’s sister and a LUNGSTRONG board member. “She has left a gaping hole in our lives.”
“I’m struggling to do the race without her,” says Jill. “When we started the race, I was concerned we didn’t have much time left with her — but she was a fighter! We ran the event together for years and had so many laughs that I found myself thinking, ‘she is always going to be here.’ This year will be the event’s 12th year, but the first without Diane. It’s going to be tough.”
Diane defied the odds, not only living with lung cancer for two decades, but thriving while doing so — and making a tremendous impact on the world around her. Her loved ones are determined to carry on this legacy through LUNGSTRONG.
“Diane said that when she died, she would come back as a hummingbird,” says Jill. “This year, the race t-shirts have hummingbirds on them. It will be bittersweet, but we know she will be with us on that day.”
For more information on LUNGSTRONG’s 5k race and 1.5-mile walk, click here.
For more information on how to support lung cancer care at Massachusetts General Hospital, contact us.
