Welcome to Mission Matters. Each month we focus on various topics related to the mission and programs of your American Cancer Society. In addition to this blog, Mission Matters also includes a newsletter, posted in the Relay Library by the 25th of each month and a conference call series. Be sure to watch for Mission Matters podcasts coming soon!

Our next conference call will be December 11 at Noon Eastern and 8:30 PM Eastern.

This month's topics are the Great American Smokeout and Hope Lodge.

Thursday, November 15 is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout.

Visit www.cancer.org/greatamericans to learn more about the Great American Smokeout, tips for quitting tobacco or helping a loved one to quit and ways you can get involved in fighting back against tobacco.

Fight Back Against Tobacco and Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women. This year alone, there will be about 213, 380 new cases diagnosed with an estimated 160,390 deaths in the US.

The American Cancer Society will celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Great American Smokeout® on Thursday, November 15, the perfect time to Fight Back.

With exactly half of the United States now protected by smoke-free laws, and a variety of cessation resources available, there has never been a better time to quit smoking and enjoy the health benefits. Smoking-related diseases are the most preventable cause of death in our society. We must FIGHT BACK!

I CAN learn about tobacco's impact on cancer.

I CAN participate in the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout®.

I CAN join ACS CAN to help make cancer a top national priority.

I CAN share my story as a guest speaker at a Team Captain meeting, Kick-off or on Relay Day.

I CAN QUIT smoking and using other tobacco products or encourage someone I love to do so.

I CAN participate in a Smoke Out media event by contacting my local staff partner to find out if my community is hosting a media event to bring attention to important smoking-related issues.

I CAN get active in a tobacco campaign. To find out about what is happening in your state around the tobacco issue, visit www.acscan.org and select your state on the left hand scroll bar.

I CAN join ACS CAN to help eliminate cancer as a major health problem by encouraging lawmakers and candidates to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority.

For more information on the Great American Smokeout®, and for resources that can help you quit smoking, call 1-800-ACS-2345 anytime, day or night, or visit www.cancer.org/greatamericans.

TAKE THE FIGHT BACK PLEDGE TODAY! Visit www.RelayForLife.org for more information on how you can CELEBRATE, REMEMBER, and FIGHT BACK!

Convinced you're free from the cancer-causing chemicals in smoke because you don't smoke yourself and choose nonsmoking sections in restaurants and other public places? Unfortunately, unless the place you're visiting is 100 percent smoke-free, there's a good chance that you will become an accidental smoker during your stay.

A study done at the University of California, Berkeley, explored the amount of smoke a nonsmoker inhales in a variety of situations. The results are astonishing:

• Sitting in the nonsmoking section of a restaurant for two hours is essentially equivalent to smoking one and three-fourths cigarettes.
• Riding in a car with the windows closed for one hour while someone is smoking is equivalent to smoking four cigarettes.
• Sitting behind a smoker in an open-air stadium for three hours is like smoking one cigarette.
• Sitting next to a smoker in a smoky bar for two hours is equivalent to smoking four cigarettes.
• Working for eight hours in an office that allows smoking is like smoking six cigarettes.
• Spending 24 hours in the home of a pack-a-day smoker is equivalent to smoking three cigarettes.

Hope Lodge, where hope lives...

Getting the right care sometimes means cancer patients must travel away from home, often to a cancer treatment facility in another city, which places even more of an emotional and financial burden during what is already a challenging time.

The American Cancer Society is trying to make this difficult situation easier for cancer patients and their families through 22 Hope Lodges - free, temporary housing facilities for cancer patients who are undergoing treatment. But Hope Lodges are more than just a place to stay - they provide a home-like nurturing environment, so patients can get support from others going through the same experience. A cancer survivor's recovery involves much more than medical treatments; it takes hope to heal. Hope Lodge offers the warmth and security of home in a setting where the love and encouragement of others enlighten and inspire guests. At Hope Lodge, guests rally around each other, building life-affirming connections and lifetime friendships.

Hope Lodges are just one tangible example of how the American Cancer Society gives back to communities. Hope Lodges not only increase access to care and provide a home away from home free of charge for the growing number of cancer patients and their families seeking treatment far from home, but they also serve as a community center for a variety of cancer initiatives, programs, and patient support programs.

Accommodations and eligibility requirements may vary by location. To find a Hope Lodge and to learn more about a specific facility, please see the list below, or call the American Cancer Society toll free at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.