PINEHURST — When 51-year-old Fayetteville resident Courtenay Newkirk tells people she survived lung cancer, the reaction is almost always the same: shock.
“I think most people expect the worse possible outcome with a lung cancer diagnosis,” she said. “People are surprised to see me thriving and back to work. There are so many misconceptions about what lung cancer looks like, who gets it and what the outcomes can be if caught early. I want to change that.”
Today, Newkirk is using her story to raise awareness about early detection — especially among Black and brown communities, where lung cancer is often diagnosed later and outcomes can be worse…