Aurora is an educator and advocate for marginalized communities, with a focus on healthcare equity. A member of the Filipino diaspora, her journey as an immigrant has shaped her into a resilient, community-centered individual. Diagnosed with lung cancer at 28 while pursuing her EdD and teaching full-time, Aurora faced a 3-month delay in diagnosis due to her age and insurance barriers. This experience deepened her commitment to addressing healthcare disparities, particularly in lung cancer. Featured in NBC News and other major outlets, Aurora uses her voice to raise awareness, influence policy, and support those affected by lung cancer. With over 20,000 followers on social media, she creates digital content to connect and uplift newly diagnosed patients worldwide.

In October of 2015, Rhonda Meckstroth’s husband Jeff was diagnosed at age 58 with non- small cell adenocarcinoma stage IV lung cancer with an Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) mutation. Living in a small rural community in Ohio, Rhonda quickly learned the educational barriers of community oncology in treating this rare lung cancer, forging her role as a care partner and advocate. As a government project specialist, Rhonda utilized her research skills to acquire the knowledge necessary to lead Jeff’s care. Rhonda attributes a wealth of information and support from joining the ALK Positive Patient Support Group on Facebook, Rhonda is now a Chief Administrator of the group.

The main reason she advocate’s is related to the medical challenges faced during Jeff’s diagnosis, including the burden of research and leading Jeff’s care that coincided with administration of the large worldwide patient support site and reading similar challenges of others.The lack of public and medical information regarding NSCLC, biomarker testing, targeted therapies, whole brain radiation and the expectation of the patient/caregiver to have to carry the burden of appropriate care is what drives her advocacy effort. Rhonda believes it is a sad reality that the advances in lung cancer in the past 10 years for testing and treatment relies on luck; where you live and the education level of your community oncologist. Rhonda attends conferences, meetings, and speaks with lung cancer organizations on the shared journey of a lung cancer diagnosis and the obstacles of appropriate testing and treatment helping those living with lung cancer.

I am a (2X Cancer of the Cervical Spine and Lung Cancer), Survivor, Patient, Advocate, Speaker since 11/2017, (my first diagnosis). Since my first diagnosis was so atypical, my doctors and surgeon used me as a case study in his classes at USC Keck. Through that, I received an invaluable education. I was taught what most of the terms used are, what staging of diagnosis was, what treatments were available, and what scans and further testing were needed to Push my doctors to do (like Bio Marker and GeneticTesting) and most importantly to Always Advocate for myself, ask all the hard questions, silence is never an option.

So after a forced retirement from a 40-year career in Garment Manufacturing/Business Owner in the Apparel Fashion Industry and losing my little brother to Colon Cancer, I decided to use what I have learned. I dedicated my life to speaking out and advocating for others. To use my voice and business/marketing knowledge, to work with others as a team, and to bring more awareness to cancer, especially Lung Cancer which I am, a missed diagnosis (unfortunately not uncommon), Stage 4 Survivor. It is imperative to bring more awareness and funding for research, early testing, and scans and importantly educate the public, get scanned earlier, and stop the stigma of this #1 cancer killer called Lung Cancer. (I believe we can learn much from the HIV community in many ways) So I will continue to speak out and Advocate to educate and raise this much-needed Awareness, every day for those who have gone before us and can not, and for those of us who have just been or have not yet been diagnosed.