A Tribute To

Caroline Hunt Epp

Caroline was “mediocre.”

While Caroline was in the hospital, days before her passing, I asked her if she’d like me share a post honoring her.

She replied: “Oh, I don’t need a ‘how great Caroline is’ kind of thing.”

I told her I understood. ‘I’ll make a ‘Caroline is mediocre’ tribute then.” Typical banter for us.

The truth is, Caroline was anything but mediocre.

She was a wonderful person, a wife to her best friend Steve, a dog mom, a world traveler, an artist, a daughter, and a friend.

In late 2023, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 EGFR non small cell lung cancer. As someone without a smoking history and no other risk factors, it was a complete shock to her. Six months ago, she faced another shock: her cancer transformed into a more aggressive small cell lung cancer.

Caroline was deeply grateful for the targeted therapy she was on, not just because it treated the cancer, but because it gave her time and quality of life. She valued both immensely.

Traveling was never just a side note for Caroline; it was a priority she protected. Even while navigating life with lung cancer, she refused to let her world get smaller. She traveled to many different countries over the last two years.

She used those experiences to empower others. By sharing practical tips and her own experiences, she showed our community that it is possible to still live out your life, see the world, and find meaning, even in the midst of this disease.

Caroline was a teacher through and through. Even while grappling with her own diagnosis, she quickly became a trusted source of reliable information and a pillar of support for other patients and caregivers.

She is a huge part of why YLCI is what it is today.

Caroline had a gift for making people feel safe and seen. In our private Facebook group, she was the glue that kept us connected and created a space where people felt they could talk about the “hard things.” She knew the benefit of community and relationships, and she put in the work to build them, organizing both virtual and local meet-ups.

Beyond the community work, she was my right hand. She helped me edit countless videos and taught me how to use Canva. She had an endless stream of good ideas. She was also a wonderful confidant and sounding board. She believed the best way for patients to advocate for themselves was through education.

She was passionate about helping make content that made things like biomarker testing, second opinions, and palliative care easier to understand and navigate.

She made so many strong friendships. She checked in on all of us regularly. She was smart, resourceful and so generous.

The people you meet in the lung cancer world are some of the best people you will ever know. They just get it. But because the bonds are so deep, the losses hurt that much more.

Caroline, we love you and already miss you. You leave behind a community that is stronger, better informed, and more connected because of you. Thank you for everything.

With love,

Bianca & the entire YLC community