Date Published: 00/00/0000 [Source]
Dana Reeve died on Monday in New York at the age of 44 from lung cancer. She was diagnosed with the disease in August.
Reeve was a non-smoker. While it's not clear what caused her to get the disease, the American Lung Association says smoking or second-hand smoke is responsible for 87% of all lung cancer deaths in the U.S.
Other causes include radon, on-the-job carcinogens like asbestos exposure, and air pollution.
It is estimated, lung cancer will kill 68,000 women in the U.S. this year alone.
In 2003, El Paso County had 302 people die from lung cancer. Lung cancer rates for the county are lower than the state, and Colorado's lung cancer rates are lower than the national average, according to the El Paso County Health Department.