Lung cancer didn’t stop Bonnie Addario, 60, from giving a big voice to those suffering from the same cancer as her.

The San Carlos resident began a nonprofit organization that gave more than $2.5 million in the last two years to research and provide awareness on the cancer that kills more people than any other cancer.

“There are too many people dying every day,” she said. “Four-hundred-and-fifty-five people die every day from lung cancer ... That’s like an airplane crashing every day,” she said.

Her story began right before Christmas in 2003. Sharp chest pains prompted her to go to the doctor, who thought the pain was a result of the bulging disk in her neck. But Addario — who once wouldn’t go to the doctor for her phenomena until she got out of work — was suspicious, and went to get a full-body CT scan in San Jose. A dark shadow on her left lung confirmed her fears, but it wasn’t until she went back to her doctor with the scan that she was told she had lung cancer. Four of her family members had been previously diagnosed with lung cancer and three had passed away.

After a second scan and a biopsy — hard to do because of the tumor’s proximity to her heart — Addario’s began radiation and chemotherapy, and once the tumor shrunk enough she underwent an operation on St. Patrick’s Day in 2005. “My lucky number is 17 and I’m a little Irish so I thought, ‘That’s a good sign.” said Addario.

After her surgery and a lot of research, Addario found that although lung cancer kills more people than any other cancer, and kills more woman than breast cancer, the support for lung cancer victims fell short to organizations dedicated to victims of other types of cancer. In addition, although the survival rate for breast cancer is 85 percent and the survival rate for prostate cancer is 90 percent, the survival rate for lung cancer is 15 percent.

One reason for this major difference is that most people don’t catch the cancer until too late, and that is because often it causes no pain, said Addario.

“We want to do what’s been done for breast cancer ... People surviving instead of dying ... Look at what can be done,” said Addario.

She said she thinks lung cancer research and detection will advance greatly. In five years, she said that perhaps blood and saliva tests could determine if someone has the cancer. That sort of research is exactly what the BLALCF supports with its grants.

The stigma of smoking and its association with lung cancer is one reason why little has changed in the last years, said Addario, who found through her research that the survival rate for those with lung cancer hadn’t really changed in 30 years.

“If someone had heart disease would you ask him or her if they over ate?” said Addario, who wouldn’t answer whether or not she had ever smoked. “I’m getting really tired of being asked [whether or not I smoked], and everyone with lung cancer is really tired of hearing that.”

And according the BJALCF Web site,”Sixty percent of lung cancer is now diagnosed in nonsmokers and former smokers.”

So she created the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation to “fill a need” that didn’t exist. She said she could count the number of lung cancer foundations on her hands, and out of all of them, the BJALCF currently reaches the largest audience. She has also since been on the foundation board at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, which, in partnership with the BJALCF, has implemented an early detection program making CT scans more affordable to those most at risk for lung cancer.

A normal CT scan for lung cancer can cost up to $1,500, said Addario. But with this new program, people can get them for $400 as long as they meet the criteria, such as age, smoking and family history.

Although they are currently the easiest way to detect lung cancer, they are usually not covered such as mammograms for breast cancer and colonoscopies for colon cancer are, said Addario.

The BJALCF also promotes awareness. With a background in business, Addario and the BJALCF began marketing campaigns that included a number of posters that painted buses in San Francisco and subways in New York that delivered messages in pink and green lettering. “Five out of five lung cancer survivors recommend a CAT scan,” read one and “Lung Cancer, The #1 Cancer Killer. It’s not just for smokers anymore,” read another.

Also in the works is the One in a Million campaign, which asks that 1,000,000 people each donate $20. “I have always felt that it’s easier to get $20 from a lot of people than a lot of money from a few,” said Addario on her Web site.

“I want to make a difference. When we know we saved a life from our efforts, [then we’ll] know [we’re] succeeding,” she said.

For a calendar of events, to make a donation or to find out more about the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, go to www.lungcancerfoundation.org.