As someone who always associated lung cancer with heavy smoking, learning about the rising cases among non-smokers feels both surprising and unsettling. It’s a stark reminder that our health is deeply connected to the environment we live in.

To me, this issue really highlights the need to rethink how we define “at risk.” Clean air shouldn’t be a privilege, it’s a basic necessity. If we don't treat air pollution with the same urgency we did tobacco in the past, we’re going to see more tragedies like Martha’s.