BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Somerset County) — More than 800 people are expected to participate in the American Lung Association’s annual LUNG FORCE Walk in Bridgewater next month, with organizers hoping to raise $130,000 for lung cancer and lung disease research, education and advocacy.
The 12th annual LUNG FORCE Walk New Jersey will begin at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 26 at TD Bank Ballpark, home of the Somerset Patriots.
The event will also recognize Dr. Missak Haigentz, chief of thoracic medical oncology and chief of head and neck medical oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health, as its 2026 medical honoree.
The American Lung Association said money raised through the event supports research, early detection initiatives and programs and services for people affected by lung cancer and other lung diseases. The walk also honors people who have died from lung cancer and supports those living with the disease.
“We are calling on our community to join us to help put an end to lung cancer and lung disease one step at a time,” said Erica Masin, Executive Director at the Lung Association. “Thanks to the dedicated support of our participants, volunteers and sponsors, the Bridgewater LUNG FORCE Walk has raised over $1 million since 2015 to help end lung cancer. Nationally, LUNG FORCE has raised more than $35 million for lifesaving lung cancer research. Please join us to keep up the momentum and save more lives.”
Haigentz specializes in treating patients with thoracic cancers, including lung and thymus cancers and mesothelioma, as well as head and neck cancers.
“I am honored to be recognized as the 2026 LUNG FORCE Walk Medical Honoree on behalf of my multidisciplinary team at the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and my patients, stated Dr. Missak Haigentz. Together we can conquer a disease that impacts so many.”
Haigentz has lived in New Jersey for 35 years and received his medical degree from UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, now part of Rutgers. He completed an internal medicine residency at New Jersey Medical School and a hematology and oncology fellowship at New York University School of Medicine.
“It’s an honor to impact the future of lung cancer care in our state.”
According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in New Jersey and nationwide, with someone in the U.S. diagnosed about every two minutes.
The organization said the five-year survival rate for lung cancer has risen to nearly 30%, representing a 26% increase over the past five years. The association attributes improvements in survival in part to increased awareness and advances in detection and treatment.
Registration for the Bridgewater walk is open through the LUNG FORCE New Jersey website.
Local sponsors include Johnson & Johnson, RWJBarnabas Health/Rutgers Cancer Institute and Atlantic Health.
