My name is Kylie Johnston and live in Brisbane. I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunty, and a friend. I am also a lung cancer survivor.

When I was diagnosed in 2003 at age 27 I was totally shocked and terrified. I felt completely alone. Three years on, it has been a hard and confronting journey to come to realise that the disease is now just a part of my life.

But I know there are a lot of patients and their families struggling to cope with a lung cancer diagnosis, and who would benefit from much needed lung cancer support groups. Sadly, currently in Australia this support is minimal.

I want this to change.

I want people to know that lung cancer is taking the lives of about the same number of mothers, sisters, and daughters as breast cancer, but does not receive the same funding for support or research.

So to raise awareness of lung cancer, on May 16th 2006 I headed off on a huge challenge - to be the first person to travel over the Simpson Desert in a hot air balloon.

This website contains my daily diary of the journey and great pictures of some of the amazing places we travelled through.  I hope you enjoy reading about the Lungevity Challenge.

As a result of the Lungevity Challenge, I'm really pleased and proud that the Kylie Johnston Lung Cancer Network has been established to provide information, support and hope to people touched by lung cancer.

For more information about the Kylie Johnston Lung Cancer Network, click here.