What You Need to Know About the Number One Cancer Killer of Women

By now, you’ve probably read or at least heard of Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling book Wild, which was recently turned into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. In it, Cheryl describes her journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail after her mom’s death at age 45 to lung cancer.

Because of this, Cheryl has always been passionate about educating others about the disease. That’s why she recently partnered with Lung Force, a new national movement led by the American Lung Association (ALA) to raise both awareness and research funds. And at this year's Oscars, she and Laura promoted Lung Force by wearing turquoise (the color of the organization).

We had the chance to speak with the author about what she wishes all women knew about lung cancer, why this partnership is so important to her, and more.

The surprising lung cancer fact she wants all women to know: “I had no idea when my mom was diagnosed that it was the number one cancer killer of women,” says Cheryl, whose mom died 24 years ago. What’s more, it’s actually the leading cancer killer in both men and women and causes more deaths than colon, breast, and pancreatic cancers combined, according to the ALA. “Whenever I tell people that lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of women, they’re never not surprised,” says Cheryl.

Why the partnership with Lung Force means so much to her: For Cheryl, it’s important to break the stigma associated with lung cancer—that it's only a smoker's disease. (Cheryl's mom smoked recreationally in her youth but hadn't touched a cigarette in more than a decade before she was diagnosed.) “Especially since the movie came out, I’ve heard from lots of women who have lung cancer or [from women who] detected it at an earlier stage and are lung cancer survivors,” says Cheryl. “They always thank me for raising awareness. I feel that so many women say to me, ‘Thank you for saying your mom died of lung cancer,’ and that breaks my heart because there’s no shame in my mom having lung cancer.”

How being her mom’s caretaker affected her: Cheryl’s mom died just seven weeks after receiving her diagnosis of end-stage lung cancer. “I was a junior in college [when my mom was diagnosed], and up to that point it was basically my mom’s job to take care of me,” says Cheryl. “I remember just how brutal it was. And part of it was the shift—suddenly before my eyes, my mom became an old woman and I was taking care of her. But I also always felt lucky [that I got to be there with her].”

What she would like to tell her mom today: “People always ask me, ‘What would you say to your mom if you could have her back for a minute?’” says Cheryl. “I used to always say it would be ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’—and now it’s ‘Laura Dern plays you in a movie,’ because it’s so amazing. [My mom] was just such a resilient, resourceful, and strong woman.”