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Non-Profit Organization Holds 3K Walk Benefiting Lung Cancer Research

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh students teamed up with a major non-profit organization focused on lung cancer research to organize a walk that aimed to raise awareness for lung cancer research.

This was the second year for the Breathe Deep Pittsburgh 3K walk, an event founded by Margot Cohen, whose mom passed away from lung cancer when she was young. Participants can register as teams to raise donations together. All proceeds go toward the LUNGevity Foundation, a non-profit organization that event manager Heather Domabyl says is the largest non-profit organization dedicated to lung cancer research.

"It's something people don't talk about enough, so hopefully people will get the word out, people will start talking about it," Domabyl said.

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Walk participant Mallory Marta was walking for her mother, who had lung cancer and passed away in February at age 55.

"For families going through it, it's drastic change you see in patients, and it's just good to get awareness out there and research to help people," she said.

"You don't have to smoke [to get lung cancer]," Domabyl said. "If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer."

About 200 people participated in this year's event, according to Domabyl, raising about $10,000 for research that she says is "terribly underfunded."

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