Feb 11, 2023
ALCSI Podcast: Gloria Linnertz and Jackie Nixon
On this ALCSI podcast, Gloria Linnertz and Jackie Nixon talk about how lung cancer has affected their lives and inspired their advocacy work in radon awareness and education.
Jackie Nixon:
Jackie Nixon is the Director of Marketing & Communications for Citizens Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3) and Publisher of CR3 News Magazine and a Stage 1 Lung Cancer Survivor. She is also the Pennsylvania State Representative for Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (CR3), an Advocate committed to educating communities about radon and its lung cancer effects.
She holds an AS and BA in Computer Technology and a BS in Computer Science with a minor in mathematics from Edinboro University and an AS degree in Art from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. She is the CEO of ROIMarket Media LLC established in 2010.
As a stage one lung cancer survivor, she never smoked, diagnosed … by accident … in 2015 with no symptoms. This lead her to eventually find high levels of radon in her building and to understand that radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among never smokers. The revelation was the pivot point to her joining CR3 and creating and marketing the international publication, CR3 News Magazine, to “Get the word out!” Her publication is read in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
She likes to say “My entire being is now dedicated to letting others know that simple solutions to good health are obtainable through research and education.”
Gloria Linnertz:
Gloria has devoted her life to radon education and awareness after lung cancer took her husband’s life on Feburary 8, 2006. Their house measured over four times the EPA radon action level. Sharing her story with others in the hope of preventing future radon-induced lung cancer deaths has expanded her acquaintances to include many legislators, industry professionals, government officials, and medical personnel throughout the nation. Thanks to her state representative, Dan Reitz, and the support of AARST, the president of the Illinois Home Inspectors Association and others, the Radon Awareness Act was passed in Illinois on August 16, 2007, which has resulted in many more homes being tested and mitigated. Helping to activate the radon community with activities of awareness and education is an on-going effort.
Participating in TV and radio interviews, writing newspaper articles, giving presentations to all types of groups, displaying materials and stories at home shows and conferences, and organizing events has been her life for the last 17 years; attending numerous National Conference of State Legislators helping to educate our state senators and representatives about the danger of radon exposure; participating in numerous state and US hearings on the need for radon policies, the list goes on.
In late 2013, she established a 501c3 nonprofit organization called Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction (or CR3 for short) to facilitate the spread of the facts about the danger of radon exposure. She is excited about the growing participation in CR3 and their electronic radon news magazine, CR3 RADON NEWS, published by lung cancer survivor and Pennsylvania representative of their organization, Jackie Nixon.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world. Large clinical trials have shown that lung cancer screening through low-dose computed tomography (CT) reduces lung cancer mortality by up to 33%. In fact, if every high-risk American were to get screened right now, several thousand lives could be saved this year alone. However, less than 6% of high-risk Americans are currently getting screened. Visit our website at https://www.alcsi.org/ for free educational resources and webinars on lung cancer and lung cancer screening.