Tania Gray (left) and Pat Zandona were each given months to live, but five years on are both fighting for the same cause. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
When Pat Zandona was first told she had lung cancer, she didn’t receive a great deal of sympathy.
“People told me I shouldn’t have smoked, even though I’ve never had a cigarette in my life,” she said.
Tania Gray faced a similar stigma, which is why the two Griffith women have joined forces to support Lung Foundation Australia — a charity that funds research, raises awareness and works to dispel myths about a disease that claims more Australian lives than breast, prostate and bowel cancers combined.
“People don’t know much about lung cancer — it’s not a smoker’s disease,” Ms Gray said.
“The mutation I have targets female non-smokers.”
Lung cancer is Australia’s leading cause of cancer death, and while smoking is a risk factor, it can also affect people who have never smoked. Advances in targeted therapies and other treatments have transformed the outlook for some patients with specific genetic mutations.
Both Ms Zandona and Ms Gray were initially given just months to live after their diagnoses.
Five years later, they are both still going strong.
“I was a gym instructor and I developed a persistent cough and tiredness,” Ms Zandona said.
“I thought it was due to my work, but one day I couldn’t do my class because I couldn’t breathe.”
Ms Zandona was subsequently placed on a clinical trial for the targeted medication osimertinib, which at the time cost about $8000 a month.
The drug has since been listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), dramatically reducing the cost for eligible patients.
“That’s why we are so supportive of the work of the Lung Foundation, who lobby for drugs to be placed on the PBS,” Ms Zandona said.
Pat Zandona was recognised as the 2025 Riverina Volunteer of the Year for her other cause — making trauma teddies for sick kids. Photo: Supplied.
Ms Gray was 44 when illness struck.
Initially, she thought her symptoms were caused by hay fever, while she said a doctor had told her she needed to lose weight.
But a month later, she was admitted to hospital in Sydney, where doctors discovered spots throughout her lungs.
“They gave me six to 12 months to live,” she said.
“But I was able to get on osimertinib; I’ve had a good run since then and I turn 50 this year.”
The pair has since joined forces to organise an annual trivia night at the Griffith Leagues Club, raising more than $40,000 for Lung Foundation Australia over the past decade.
This year’s event is already sold out, but those wanting to support the cause can still buy raffle tickets or donate to the foundation.
“The Lung Foundation was instrumental in pioneering lung cancer screening and does a great job of spreading awareness about what is the number-one cancer killer,” Ms Gray said.
Ms Zandona said attitudes towards lung cancer had changed significantly since their diagnoses, but there was still work to be done.
“When we were first diagnosed, nobody wanted to talk about it,” she said.
“It took us three years for people to take us seriously, but people now realise it’s something that can’t be ignored.”
Donations to the Shine a Light on Lung Cancer cause can be made online.
