November is not my favorite month. So many times in November my husband, Joe, and I had to put on our badge of courage and faith to make it through difficult situations.

It was Nov. 2, 1979, that Joe had his first triple bypass surgery. On the night of Nov. 30, 1992, Joe passed out in the shower after returning home from work. Twenty years after his first bypass, on Nov. 11, 1999, Joe had his second heart surgery.

Of course, we were so thankful to God that these serious conditions resulted in successful recovery. In spite and because of all of this, Joe remained a very active person with dedicated exercise routines of walking everyday. He followed a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and, of course, quit smoking in 1979. He loved to tell jokes and make people laugh. He was my light and strength.

On Nov. 2, 2005, we found Joe’s liver enzymes were elevated. After many tests, we were devastated to learn Joe had lung cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs. How could this have happened? Where did it come from?

Joe’s oncologist said that the two major causes of lung cancer are smoking and radon. A month after Joe’s death, I found we had been living with an invisible killer — radon, an odorless, tasteless radioactive gas found everywhere worldwide. It causes lung cancer.

Former smokers or current smokers are at a much greater risk of lung cancer when living with high levels of radon.

Radon is fickle; your neighbor’s house may have a low level of radon, while your house may be high. ONLY A TEST CAN TELL.

If someone had just told us about the deadly power of radon and how easy it is to test and mitigate, we would have done so. Ignorance is certainly not bliss. It can be deadly. I decided at that time that I would dedicate myself to the cause of radon awareness.

With the strong support of my state representative, Dan Reitz, and information and support from organizations and individuals concerned about radon in Illinois and other states throughout the nation, the Illinois Legislature passed the Radon Awareness Act (HB1425).

It states that at the point of sale of a house the buyer must be notified that the property may present exposure to dangerous levels of indoor radon gas that might place the occupants at risk of developing radon-induced lung cancer.

A warning statement must be included, “Radon, a Class A human carcinogen, is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause overall.”

The seller must provide the buyer with any information on radon test results showing elevated levels of radon. A statement from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) must be included that strongly recommends that all homebuyers have an indoor radon test performed prior to purchase or taking occupancy and mitigation performed if high levels are found.

I am very grateful for this law, but more is needed. Mandatory testing of all homes before the sale is my goal. Schools, day care centers and nursing homes also need testing.

Everyone’s home needs to be tested for radon. The U.S. government has set the radon action level at 4.0 picocuries per liter of air. If you have a high level, mitigation is quick and easy.

Go to www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html to find out how to get a radon test kit from your state or go to your local hardware store.

Gloria Linnertz lives in Waterloo, Ill. Her husband, Joe, died of radon-induced lung cancer in February 2006.