There Is A Stigma: Survivor Amanda Kouri On Why She Became A Lung Cancer Advocate

Amanda Kouri is a lung cancer survivor — but some people find that hard to believe when they first look at her. She’s 28 years old, she was diagnosed five years ago, and she wants to stop the stigma surrounding lung cancer. Her story serves as a reminder that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.

Amanda had asthma, so when she was having issues with breathing … doctors assumed, because of her age, that the asthma was the cause. “I saw many, many doctors. I had many X-rays, and nobody thought to give me a CT scan or take a look further because they assumed I either had pneumonia or I had asthma,” Amanda says. “It’s not a smoker’s disease, but the stigma is incredibly difficult.”