SAYRE, PA (WENY) -- November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the Guthrie Clinic was shining a light on lung cancer, this evening, with an event in Sayre, Pennsylvania. Doctors and survivors that have been affected by this disease shared their stories.  

“This big thing with this is we can go out; we can share this whole recovery...this survivor-ship and it's a big plus,” said Dr. Nathaniel McElhaney. “It's always a big event, I think...it can really just encourage patients.” 

 Dr. McElhaney is a thoracic surgeon at the Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital. Dr. McElhaney said it is important to shed light on lung cancer because it is one of the deadliest forms of cancer in the county.  

“We need more exposure to lung cancer,” he said. “We need more research out there, more stuff to push things forward to get better care...better treatment.” 

 The Guthrie Clinic offered survivors, current patients, loved ones, and care providers a chance to come together and learn more about the disease and treatment options. Michael Dubrava came out to the event to celebrate being cancer-free with his wife and Dr. McElhaney. Dubrava has been cancer-free since July 12th. 

“I was diagnosed...about March of this year,” he said. “That's when they started to monitor it...after a few months went by and they noticed it seemed to grow and become irregular, that's when he decided to get aggressive on it.”  

Dubrava said he is fortunate that his doctors caught the cancer early, in stage one. Dubrava added that he will always be grateful to Dr. McElhaney for saving his life. 

“He was spot on right from the get-go,” he said. “It feels great to be alive and here to celebrate...to shine the light and... I don't know what I would do without him.”