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I was diagnosed in April 2017 with lung cancer (stage 4 adenocarcinoma with malignant pleural effusion). I celebrated my 47th birthday in May. My husband and I will celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary in July. We have a 12 year old daughter. This is my second stage 4 cancer diagnosis. The first was shortly after my husband asked me to marry him. I was 23 years old and had stage 4 Hodgkins. I was treated with a combination MOPP ABVD regimen. My life was placed on pause while I took 24 treatments and tried to make a new normal. After 15 months of chemotherapy, I was given a clean bill of health. The original plan included pinpoint radiation but after consulting the tumor board, my oncologist told me the group decision was to stop with chemo. Now I could plan my wedding and get on with my life. My oncologist and nurse even attended my wedding. Years later at a follow up, my oncologist told me that we dodged a bullet by not doing the radiation as many patients were now being diagnosed with leukemia or breast cancer. I remember feeling a cold shiver at the thought that I could have been in that position. We were blessed with a daughter even though I had been told I most likely would be sterile. Fast forward to 2017, I had a cold early in the year but could not shake the cough. I was given a couple of rounds of antibiotics, then was referred to the pulmonologist. I had a thoracentisis. The pulmonologist told me not to Google, but I did, not about pleural effusions but about long term effects of MOPP ABVD. The following week, he gave me the diagnosis and I admitted my transgression. Maybe the lung cancer is just the hand that I was dealt, but I can't help but tie it back to the treatment for Hodgkins. I have been very fortunate to have wonderful support from my family, friends, and co-workers. I have also had incredible medical care from physicians, nurses, and support staff. If any Hodgkins survivors who only had chemo and have also been diagnosed with lung cancer reach out to me, I would love to correspond and discuss histories. Thanks for reading my story.
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In 1998, Ruthe Cain was living life in California and enjoying being close to the fresh air and the great outdoors. She was in her late fifties and loved living an active lifestyle, but that year she would face a diagnosis that would change her life: she learned that she had lung cancer. More than 15 years and three surgeries later, Ruthe is still a survivor, and she’s still enjoying life in every way she can. Ruthe first suspected something might be wrong with her health when she had trouble with her vision. “All of the sudden, it looked like a black veil over my eyes,” she says. She went in to see her doctor, and after a series of tests, she was surprised to hear that the problem might be not with her eyes, but her respiratory system. “I didn’t think a thing about my lungs. So they sent me in for a chest x-ray, and that was the beginning of it.” Ruthe was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, and soon after, she underwent an operation to remove one of the three lobes in her right lung. “After that first lobe was removed, I had no side effects at all. I was totally fine,” she says, and she continued to live an active life, snow skiing, and water skiing and getting outside throughout the year. She also kept up with regular lung exams in order to check for a possible recurrence. It wasn’t until a decade later, in 2008, that a new problem was discovered. On a trip from Maine to Pennsylvania to visit her son and daughter-in-law, Ruthe felt a pain in her chest. “We went to the hospital, and they did a chest x-ray, and sure enough they found another node,” she says. With this second diagnosis of lung cancer, surgeons removed another lobe of her lung, and they also noticed some suspicious findings that indicated changes might be happening in the remaining third lobe. A year later, when a growth was detected, they removed the last part of her right lung, leaving only her left lung intact. “I was really lucky,” says Ruthe. “I have never had [to use] oxygen, I’ve never had any radiation or chemo. But this last surgery, it was definitely a life changer.” With her whole right lung now gone, Ruthe had to cope with more serious side effects, such as an increased danger from chest infections and a noticeable amount of fatigue. It also meant some of the outdoor activities she had always enjoyed were simply no longer possible. However, she has found lots of ways to stay positive – and stay moving. “We got a dog a few years ago, so I am able to take her on the trail at the dog park,” says Ruthe. She also loves spending time in the pool with her two grandsons and recently enrolled in a water aerobics class that she attends with her husband.
