A week away from her 58th birthday, Angela Lea finds herself contemplating not just the passing of her years, but the number of years that remain. Currently residing in Havelock, N.B., Angela was recently dealt a life-altering blow— a terminal lung cancer diagnosis. The cruel twist? She never once picked up a cigarette.
The unexpected culprit behind her condition is radon gas, naturally occurring, but no less deadly, permeating the very walls of the home she’s lived in for over a quarter of a century. The revelation has sent shockwaves through her loved ones, carving deep into their hearts, distress only worsened by the loss of her mother to ovarian cancer four years prior. Despite the heartache, Angela remains stoic, refusing to shed tears for her own plight.
In the wake of her diagnosis, droves of friends, family members, and patients have flocked to her home, bearing well-wishes and collective astonishment. Among them is Alan Brown, the mayor of Butternut Valley, who found the situation particularly shocking. In his words, a woman as healthy and active as Angela is not the typical face of lung cancer. Yet, defying general expectations, she finds herself battling the disease, a stark reminder that lung cancer can afflict anyone, regardless of their lifestyle choices.
Recognizing the impact of her experience, Angela has now taken upon herself the mission to spread awareness about the dangers of radon gas. Health promotion has always been a matter close to her heart, and she believes it to be her duty to urge everyone to get their homes tested. According to Statistics Canada, radon is responsible for 16% of the lung cancer cases in the country. Local organization NB Lung resonates this sentiment, stating that one out of four homes in New Brunswick bears a dangerous level of radon, a toxin undetectable by sight, smell, or taste.
NB Lung’s president and CEO, Melanie Langille, highlights that the province’s uranium-rich bedrock is a significant source of releasing the radioactive radon gas, a prime instigator of lung cancer. She reinforces the statement that testing is the only means of knowing whether homes are affected by the unsafe gas, praising Angela for her efforts to convey this message far and wide.
Angela’s health journey began two months ago when she started feeling unwell. Initially, she believed her liver to be the issue, a suspicion that soon took the grim turn toward lung cancer. Her beautiful countryside home, built and nurtured by her and her husband, ironically turned out to be a ticking time bomb sinking its toxic talons into their seemingly idyllic life.
Now, remediation procedures are underway to remove the high levels of radon, causing their homestead to register at max capacity on detection devices. Meanwhile, Angela braces herself for the rough road ahead, standing strong for her family. As she resigns herself to the inevitability of her situation, she fervently hopes that her husband and her children, who spent a significant part of their youth in the radon-infested basement, are able to escape the radon’s snare.
In her honor, a community fund dubbed “Angela’s Allies” will distribute hundreds of radon test kits through Havelock Elementary School on November 15th. With every breath she takes, despite her dwindling days, Angela Lea continues to serve her life’s purpose of promoting health and saving lives, even as she battles against the unseen enemy within her own home.
