Breath of Hope Ohio

Gala

An Annual Event Benefiting Lung Cancer Research

See details below and check back for updates on the 2026 event!

Funds from this event directly benefit lung cancer research at :

The “Breath of Hope Ohio” Gala was initiated by Sandy and Mark Lomeo after Mark was diagnosed with lung cancer in April 2014. They were surprised to discover the lack of funding for lung cancer as compared to many other types of cancer. They decided to raise money by having a dinner gala. They formed a steering committee (created by Annie Cacciato) to advance their cause. Fundraising efforts from the event support “Blue Beautiful Skies” Fund to directly benefit the Thoracic Oncology Department at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) for awareness, research, new treatments, and hopefully a cure. Presently, lung cancer has a dismal survival rate. It kills more people per year than breast, colon, and prostate cancer combined. In fact, lung cancer kills twice as many women as breast cancer. Given the poor survival rates of lung cancer, your help is needed. Please, support “Breath of Hope Ohio” and its mission by either attending the upcoming event or by donating at Make your gift to The Ohio State University (osu.edu).

Thank you to our 2025 sponsors:

  • Amgen

  • AstraZeneca

  • Bristol-Myers Squibb

  • Daiichi Sankyo Inc.

  • Eli Lilly and Company

  • Genentech

  • Pfizer

Funds raised from these events go directly towards lung cancer research.

Here are some recent lung cancer research breakthroughs past events have contributed to:

  • The 5 year survival for lung cancer has been going up every year, and is currently 27%. This is unprecedented.

  • With CT screening, more people are diagnosed at stage I than ever before, allowing for early intervention and longer survival.

  • More people with metastatic lung cancer are alive, doing well, and off all therapy 5+ years after diagnosis.

  • Comprehensive genomic testing is being used to tailor treatment to the genetic makeup of individual tumors with minimally toxic oral therapies. This is producing long-lasting tumor shrinkage in almost everyone.

  • New immunotherapies that harness the body’s immune system are effectively fighting the cancer better than chemotherapy and with less toxicity.