Colette Smith is at ease as she tends to the tree beds outside her Williamsbridge home — a ritual she calls both calming and restorative.

“It's therapeutic and it's healing," said Smith, a lung cancer survivor.

The Bronx resident cares for 22 of the beds in her neighborhood and it’s a far different life than the one she was living eight years ago.

After supporting her husband through prostate cancer treatment, she learned she had lung cancer. The diagnosis followed months of doctor visits, scans and biopsies. A non-smoker, she was stunned — but also relieved to finally have answers.

“Finally, I was able to get some answers. It's like freedom. Now I can take the next steps," Smith said.

Smith underwent surgery to remove the upper portion of her left lung. Her cancer was caught at a ver

See Full Page