Her vigilance gave her a sense of security, in that she was doing everything possible to ensure she was cancer-free. In addition to having regular check ups and screenings, she lived a healthy lifestyle, and she was a non-smoker. Having taken every precaution, for Tammy Willett, she could not imagine the event that would come to change her life forever.

Tammy Willett had always been the pied piper among her family and friends in her insistence on prevention and early detection of breast cancer. She even earned the nickname "mammogram police," because whenever Willett would make her annual appointment for a mammogram, she scheduled appointments for her sister and friends at the same time. Exercising caution, she was equally attentive to skin cancer prevention and early detection. "I'd get my moles checked every year," she recalled. Then one day, the unexpected happened.

Upon returning from an overseas trip in early spring 2005, Willett developed shortness of breath. "I was in Miami at the time. I could hardly breathe. I thought I had bronchitis," Willett remembered. Still experiencing similar symptoms when she arrived back in Georgia, Willett stopped by a local drop-in clinic near her office.

The clinic's doctor suggested a lung x-ray. "I expected to get an antibiotic and go about my business," she says.

Instead, Willett's x-ray revealed a significant amount of fluid on her lung. She was immediately taken by ambulance to the intensive care unit of a nearby hospital. That was on March 13, 2005.

On March 15, Willett was diagnosed with stage IIIB lung cancer. 

By March 22, she had traveled out of state to a renowned cancer center. Once the physician there learned where she lived, he advised her to go home to Georgia, informing her that some of the finest physicians specializing in lung cancer were right in her own backyard - medical oncologists Michael Fanucchi, MD, and Fadlo Khuri, MD, both with Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta.

Knowing time was of the essence, she literally drove straight from the airport on March 23 to Winship.  Six rounds of chemotherapy later, Willett's cancer was termed "inactive."

Given her good health history, Willett's diagnosis begs the question: How does a healthy non-smoker get lung cancer? Neither she nor her doctors knew. However, for Willett, the "how" was not her focus -- living was. Tammy was focused on raising money for lung cancer research.  She teamed up with another lung cancer survivor, Ed Levitt.They met through Winship's Lung Cancer Support Group, and Levitt also became a tireless advocate for raising funds for lung cancer research.

In their determination and courage to fight and not to give up, Willett and Levitt were surviving a disease that kills more people than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, in the state of Georgia and the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates 93,010 newly diagnosed lung cancer cases among men and 79,560 among women. Yet, despite these statistics, lung cancer currently receives the lowest research funding of all major cancers. A formidable and passionate duo, Willett and Levitt dedicated their lives to changing this fact -- and they did not waste any time in making a difference. This past October 2006, they were instrumental in Governor Sonny Purdue officially designating November Lung Cancer Awareness Month in Georgia.

In addition to her lung cancer advocacy, Tammy's life centered on her nine-year-old daughter Bailey, a passionate love for travel, providing support to her husband John's pipe and erosion control companies, and her job of more than 18 years with an Atlanta area land development company. Along with her daughter and husband, Willett enjoyed a wonderful support system in her sister Kathy and close friend Elaina, both of whom have accompanied her to every doctor appointment.

A doting mother, Tammy attended every horse riding competition of her daughter, and whenever Bailey was out of school, they would have fun together. Willet spread hope, love and joy around, and the energy with which she lived rivals the energy of most people who have never been diagnosed with cancer.

"Through all this, with the exception of the chemo, I haven't felt bad" she said. As her battle with lung cancer continued, she was the picture of strength. When you witnessed her determination and positive attitude, it's easy to forget the trying times that she faced.

Tammy Willett died on February 5, 2007.
She was 47 years old.
She never smoked.

Addressing her newfound purpose in life to raise funding and awareness for lung cancer research, Willett says, "Sometimes you can find yourself wondering when something like this happens, 'Why me?' But maybe this is why. Maybe I am supposed to bring attention to this terrible disease. I normally do not like public speaking, but I know this is my mission now."