history
On September 16, 2016, Elizabeth de Jong’s life took a dramatic turn. A few months of hip and leg pain culminated in her femur breaking due to two previously unknown tumors. In addition to these tumors, she also had one in her lung and two in her lymph nodes along with a brain lesion. This series of discoveries led the de Jong family to a devastating revelation: Elizabeth, at the age of 47, had inoperable and terminal Stage IV metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. It was a profound shock to both her and her family.
The creation of Libby’s Lungs was, in many ways, happenstance. The logo and name were originally developed by the creative team at BD&E to provide Elizabeth (aka Libby) and Sven with a lighthearted theme for fundraising efforts. This initiative began with a 5k walk in 2017, aimed at benefiting the Free to Breathe Foundation, now known as the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF). LCRF provides grants for lung cancer research. Friends of Elizabeth and Sven turned out in full force to support Libby’s Lungs, and thanks to their generosity, they raised more funds than any other team in attendance.
This event also marked the first time that Elizabeth spoke about her diagnosis in a public setting. On that day, just 10 months after her diagnosis, it became clear to Sven and Elizabeth that they would pour their time, energy, and resources into raising funds for lung cancer advocacy and research.
In 2019, Libby’s Lungs started its transformation into raising funds to support UMPC Hillman Cancer. For Elizabeth’s 50th birthday party, the de Jong family decided to throw a “party with a purpose” with the goal of raising $50,000. Thanks to the generous support of family and friends, they raised $65,000 that evening. While addressing those gathered, Elizabeth expressed that she had all the material possessions she needed, and her true desire, shared by every cancer patient, was to celebrate more birthdays.
Just prior to Elizabeth’s passing in July 2023, she and Sven decided to have 20% of all future funds raised support patient support initiatives including items like housing for those traveling to receive treatments, parking, integrative wellness and similar services. By the end of 2023, Libby’s Lungs had raised just over $300,000 for the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. In February 2024, the board of directors, led by Elizabeth’s husband Sven, began the process of transforming Libby’s Lungs into a formal not-for-profit entity.
Our first event as an independent 501(c)3in July of 2024 raised $76,000, bringing our total efforts since 2019 to over $375,000.
