Suzanne Dahlberg, a research scientist at the Dana Farber Institute, has lost several friends and family members to Lung Cancer, and she is determined to raise awareness and funding toward finding a cure to the disease.

"Ten years ago we lost family members to this disease, and most recently, my mom's friend passed away to lung cancer," said Dahlberg. "It's something that has affected me personally through my family life, and it's in my work life, and I hold it near and dear to my heart."

Dahlberg has teamed up with the National Lung Cancer Partnership to organize a Free to Breathe fun run to raise money and increase awareness of the disease. The 5k in Chelmsford is the first and only Free to Breathe event in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, and is one of 31 events across the country this year.  

Organizing the race is a year round job, but Dahlberg has gotten the ball rolling. She hopes this will become an annual event that will grow in size and support each year.

The 23 Free to Breathe events held in 2009 raised $1.1 million, enough money for five research grants, Dahlberg said. The goal for 2010 is $1.5 million, and the Chelmsford event alone has raised over $27,000 so far, she said.  To date, more than 250 people have registered to participate, but many runners chose to sign up on the day of the event, so the number of entrants is likely to increase, said Dahlberg. Runners can register as early as 7 a.m. tomorrow.

The 5k will be a fun filled event from start to finish, said Dahlberg. Two DJs, one at the race's start and finish line, and the other at a water stop, will play music and cheer on runners as they make their way through the scenic course.

 Before the gun goes off at 8:30 a.m., local personalities will speak to runners and show their support for finding a cure to lung cancer. The Canalagator, a mascot often seen at the Lowell Spinners games, singer Joey Grieve, state rep Jim Arciero, and Pasi Janne, the chair of the scientific advisory board, will all be at the race.

"Lung Cancer is not a smoker's disease," Dahlberg said.  "More (people who have never smoked) die from lung cancer than ovarian cancer or leukemia."

The National Lung Cancer Partnership estimates that 20,000 to 30,000 people who have never smoked are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. Lung cancer research funding is extremely low, Dahlberg said, preventing larger advancements to be made in finding a cure to this disease.

Researchers have made notable advancements in the past several years, but the battle isn't over. Methods of treating the illness have been discovered, but can only help a small percentage of those diagnosed.

"One of the problems is most patients are diagnosed at stage four, there are no lingering symptoms at stage one or stage two," said Dahlberg. "85 percent of people are diagnosed after it's already metastasized. They are inoperable. We need research dollars to develop screening methods and increase awareness."

If you are interested in volunteering or participating in the 5k this weekend, visit freetobreathe.org. The race starts at Harrington Elementary School. Event day registration is $25. All donations are tax deductible.

In order to directly contact Suzanne with questions, or to get involved with future events, email Lungcancer5k@gmail.com