Paraphrasing Practice Not that it’s easy to build awareness. Forget the pink marketing blitz; just try to find a ribbon for lung cancer. There’s even a dispute over the appropriate color, according to Andrea Ferris, president of the Longevity Foundation, who says it’s blue. Others say it’s clear or pearl.

“In every other disease, the first question people ask is, ‘How can I help?’ But with lung cancer, there’s no empathy. It’s always, ‘Did you smoke?’ After a while, it’s just easier not to say anything,” Ferris said.

In O’Brien’s case, doctors pinpointed a rare genetic mutation, called ALK. The mutation, or change in the genes, is created when two normal genes fuse together to form a new, cancer-causing one.

The University of Chicago is one of the nation’s major treatment centers because it is testing a drug designed to help patients by blocking ALK. This drug helped contain O’Brien’s cancer for a while, but now it has come roaring back, invading her lungs and brain. Two months ago, a scan revealed a liver studded with tumors.

She is now in another early stage clinical trial. She has started a blog to chronicle her lung cancer journey.

“I try not to get too mad when people ask if I smoked,” she said. “Instead, I try to turn it into an opportunity to talk about it … to educate. I guess that’s the teacher in me.”