ATLANTA, GA Dec. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Team Draft co-founder and former NFL linebacker Chris Draft launched Team Draft's 2016 Lung Cancer Survivors Super Bowl Challenge on SiriusXM NFL radio with hosts Bob Papa and Solomon Wilcots. The launch served as a call to action for lung cancer survivors across the country to join the challenge.

The Challenge participants will be a part of a friendly competition, with the top fundraisers awarded trips to Super Bowl 50, the NFL Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL. The winners, announced on January 4, 2016, will have an opportunity to share their powerful stories with key influencers from across the country.

Join the Challenge: https://www.crowdrise.com/LungCancerSurvivorsSuperBowl

The winner of the 2015 Super Bowl Challenge, Paul Kalanithi and his wife Lucy, attended Super Bowl XLIX (49) on February 1, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

"We were thrilled to raise funds for Team Draft! My husband Paul was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer as a 36-year-old, and Team Draft has really helped boost our family's spirits during this challenging time," said Lucy Kalanithi. "Team Draft raises awareness of lung cancer and empowers survivors in such a positive way."

Team Draft was founded by NFL veteran Linebacker Chris Draft and his late wife Keasha, an engineer and Clemson graduate who died of lung cancer at the age of 38.

"Super Bowl week is a fitting time to spotlight the crusade to change the face of lung cancer. The level of commitment, drive and passion required to make it this far parallels the efforts required to get lung cancer research to the next level," said Chris Draft, who co-founded Team Draft with his late wife Keasha to change the face of lung cancer.

Keasha and Chris Draft had attended the Super Bowl the year of her diagnosis, fulfilling one of her lifelong dreams. The memory of that Super Bowl trip served as part of the inspiration for The Super Bowl Challenge. "It takes a team to tackle lung cancer, and the Super Bowl Challenge has expanded this amazing team. Keasha's legacy of hope lives on through the Super Bowl Challenge team and we are grateful to all who have contributed and continue to contribute to lung cancer awareness, research, treatment and patient advocacy efforts," said Draft. "We are excited to have the opportunity to take this year's Super Bowl Challenge winners and their stories to the Super Bowl, the Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL."

About Team Draft

Team Draft, an initiative of the Chris Draft Family Foundation, is dedicated to raising lung cancer awareness and increasing badly needed research funding by shattering the misconception that lung cancer is a "smoker's disease." Despite the fact that between 20,000 and 30,000 people who have never smoked are diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States each year, the smoking stigma negatively impacts lung cancer research funding, which pales in comparison to funding for other major cancers and diseases. Team Draft is committed to educating people about the true nature of lung cancer, raising funds for research and improving the lives of those affected by lung cancer. To learn more about Team Draft, share your story, or make a donation, please visit http://www.teamdraft.org.