CindyA

Hi tnangam, Welcome here. It's so admirable how much love you feel for your mom. I would like to share this blog with you. It may help you to understand why she might be feeling the way she does. I will add a link for her next... Patients to Loved Ones: 15 Reasons Why at Times I Want to be Left Alone « LUNGevity Foundation http://ow.ly/u538L Here is one of my favorite videos for your mom if you care to show it to her. Please tell her that we are here to support her any way we can. We also have several links in our Support & Advocacy tab on our main website page that can begin to guide you towards next steps. We also have an "Ask the Experts" area. You can research previous questions that were asked or you can even submit a question of your own. http://ow.ly/u53Xo Please keep posting and letting us know how we can further support you. We are here for you & your mom! Sending hope, hugs & healing.

How Can You Know if Your Lung Cancer Has Spread? By Lynne Eldridge MDFebruary 26, 2014 I was recently asked a very important question - and one that I'm sure many of you have entertained. How can you know if your lung cancer has spread? Unfortunately the spread of lung cancer to distant regions of the body is all too common - and roughly 40% of people already have metastatic disease (lung cancer that has spread) at the time of diagnosis. For those who have their lung cancer discovered at early stages of the disease, surgery offers a chance for a cure. But even with surgery, lung cancer can rear it's head later on in the form of metastases. How will you know if this has happened? First of all it helps to know the most common areas to which lung cancer spread. The most common site is to local lymph nodes. Lung cancer spread to lymph nodes often occurs without symptoms, but can affect the treatment your doctor recommends as well as your prognosis. Other common sites of metastases include the brain, bones, the liver, and the adrenal glands. When lung cancer spreads to the brain, symptoms may include headaches, seizures, loss of coordination, speech problems, or changes in personality. Spread to the liver may result in jaundice, a yellowish discoloration of the skin. Itching, often severe, is another symptom that may occur with liver metastases. Bone metastases often result in pain. These may also result in numbness and weakness of the legs when they occur in the spine.

Please watch this great video of Jill Feldman. http://events.lungevity.org/site/PageNa ... ldman.html

We are so glad you found us along the way!

The cold and winds of winter can be annoying even if you're healthy. But if lung cancer and it's treatments leave you short of breath or immunosuppressed, the cold can be downright dangerous. How can you protect yourself from the elements until spring arrives? Here's a few tips. Don a scarf. - Wearing a scarf not only keeps you warmer, but can be pulled up over your mouth and nose thus warming the air that passes into your and lungs. Think of alternatives to going outside. Are there grocery stores that deliver in your area? Do you have a friend who can pick up the dry-cleaning? Don't leave the house with a wet head. Yes, your mother probably told you that you'd get pneumonia, and she was partly right. 45% of heat loss is through the head, and a wet head hastens this process. Dress in layers. Cancer and cancer treatments can affect your bodies "thermostat." It's a lot easier to remove clothing when you are away from home, than to find extra clothing. Wash your hands often and avoid crowds if your immune system isn't up to par. Cold weather also means that flu season is upon us. The number one thing you can do to lower your risk is careful hand washing. Be extra careful if you have peripheral neuropathy from chemotherapy. If your fingers or toes feel numb to begin with you may not notice the beginning signs of frostbite.

Hi Marlene, Here is a link to videos of HOPE http://events.lungevity.org/site/PageSe ... s_of_Hope# Latest video of HOPE http://events.lungevity.org/site/PageSe ... e=homepage Our Survivor Resource Center packed with great resources http://events.lungevity.org/survivors/index.html Blog posts from Survivors http://blog.lungevity.org/category/lung ... urvivors-2 These are good places to visit. Please keep posting and letting us know how you are. I hope you have a splendid day.

Since his 2009 lung cancer diagnosis, Matt Ellefson has become a strong advocate for research, writing regularly to his Congressional representatives about the issues that lung cancer patients face and the lack of research funding. In this video, Matt, who was the featured speaker at LUNGevity’s October Celebration of Hope Gala in New York, talks about living an active and productive life with advanced lung cancer. http://ow.ly/tYP8I

Dana, we have other forums on this board that you can scroll through and read that have a lot of useful information and tips. Feel free to explore Love your optimism!

Welcome Brenna! I"m glad you chose LUNGevity to help support you. This group is so warm, caring and intelligent. Please feel free to post in other forums as you see fit. We are here to support you. Please post often so we can help you in anyway. In addition to posting here, you may find our Support & Advocacy tab on the Foundations website helpful. Here is that link. http://events.lungevity.org/site/PageSe ... ndAdvocacy Sending you hope, healing & hugs

Hi Marlene, You may get quicker responses if you post specific questions in the forums with related titles. This forum is typically used for introductions. I know posting in a chat room can kind of be tricky. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email me CAlmendarez@lungevity.org Have a splendid day!

LUNGevity Foundation Represented at February Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Nina Foster nfoster@susandavis.com (202) 414-0791 Scientific Advisory Board Members and Awardees to participate at the 14th Annual International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASCL) event WASHINGTON, DC (February 18, 2014) – Members of LUNGevity Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board and recipients of LUNGevity research awards will be among the scientists leading and participating in sessions at the 14th Annual IASLC Targeted Therapies Meeting February 19-22 in Santa Monica, California. Lung cancer is the top cancer killer in the U.S., and LUNGevity Foundation, the nation’s largest lung cancer-focused organization, partners with key scientists at the forefront of the research that will improve and prolong lung cancer survivorship. The purpose of this four-day meeting is to discuss progress to date and advances to come in targeted therapies, treatments that work to prevent the growth of cancer cells in individuals with specific molecular mutations. “LUNGevity Scientific Advisory Board members and awardees continue to be in the vanguard of research progress. Meetings such as these are often catalysts for new and productive collaborations among researchers, and we are hopeful that this meeting will be one that moves lung cancer research forward significantly,” said Andrea Stern Ferris, President and Chairman of LUNGevity Foundation. Nine of the 19 members of LUNGevity’s Scientific Advisory Board, which guides the foundation’s research funding strategy, will contribute their expertise to the discussions: Philip Bonomi, MD (Rush University Medical Center) Julie Brahmer, MD (The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins) Lauren Byers, MD (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center David Carbone, MD, PhD (The Ohio State University) Steven Dubinett, MD (David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA) John Heymach, MD, PhD (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) Robert Keith, MD (University of Colorado Denver) Scott Lippman, MD (University of California, San Diego) Charles Rudin, MD, PhD (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) Lecia Sequist, MD, MPH (Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University) Ten principal investigators/co-investigators on LUNGevity-funded research projects will likewise participate: Jessica Donington, MD, MS (NYU Langone Medical Center) Jeffrey Engelman, MD, PhD (Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University) Rebecca Heist, MD, MPH (Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University) Karen Kelly, MD (University of California, Davis) John Minna, MD (UT Southwestern Medical Center) Joel Neal, MD, PhD (Stanford University) William Pao, MD, PhD (Vanderbilt University) Ravi Salgia, MD, PhD (University of Chicago) Ignacio Wistuba, MD (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) Since 2002, LUNGevity has funded 100 research projects at 56 institutions in 23 states and has connected people to lung cancer survivorship through research, education, and support. Throughout the year, LUNGevity coordinates grassroots and large-scale initiatives with the goal of funding research in order to extend patients’ lives and improve quality of life post-diagnosis. The research is specifically focused on expediting development of an effective early-detection strategy and increasing the availability of therapeutic agents that provide customized genetic intervention for lung cancer. About Lung Cancer 1 in 14 Americans is diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime. About 60 percent of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Lung cancer kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer and more than three times as many men as prostate cancer. Only 16 percent of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, but if it’s caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves to 52 percent. About LUNGevity Foundation LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.

Nowhere Hair is a book for any child whose parent/grandparent has cancer. Starting today, for a limited time, author Sue Glader will be giving a 5% discount off the list price & 15% of every book purchased will go to LUNGevity for lung cancer research! you must use coupon code LUNGEVITY (all caps) when ordering. Please share and order now! www.nowherehair.com

The road from caregiver to advocate BY GUEST BLOGGER | FEBRUARY 24, 2014 Katie Brown Many people don't know that lung cancer is a disease that can affect anyone. One in 14 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer and over half of those diagnosed will be people who either quit smoking decades ago or who never smoked a day in their lives. Lung cancer can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, race, health or smoking history. Its patients have felt stigmatized, neglected and unsupported in their communities. Lung cancer is the least funded cancer even though it kills more people each year than breast, prostate, pancreatic and colorectal cancers combined. These were the statistics I read while Google searching the disease that had suddenly invaded our lives. I had fallen into the role of caregiver and patient advocate without any warning or training manual. It was the hardest job I've ever had and at the same time, the most rewarding. When my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002, his diagnosis came out of the blue and we had no local support. The isolation of a lung cancer diagnosis was intense. With little treatment options, incredibly low survival rates and no support or resources specially for his disease, the odds of survival for him began to plummet. This was our devastating reality 10 years ago. My dad died 11 months and 21 days after his diagnosis and he fought fiercely to live every one of those days. I promised my dad then that I would never stop working to support those affected by lung cancer. And I haven't. Today, 11 years later, I am the director of support and advocacy for the largest lung cancer nonprofit in the nation, LUNGevity Foundation. I have created and managed support programs for people impacted by lung cancer and survivorship conferences that take place nationally and regionally. But it's been a long road of advocacy. I encourage people who feel a calling or mission to become advocates for what they believe in to make a plan and stay the course. We need more of you in the cancer community to be the voice for those who can no longer speak. I do have a few pieces of advice: Take care of yourself. While you are caring for the life of someone your love, don't forget to take care of yourself. You won't be useful to anyone if you are burned out and exhausted. Fighting cancer and fighting for someone's life is incredibly hard. Mistakes get made when we are tired or emotionally charged. Don't forget to take care of yourself. You'll do a better job at being a caregiver to someone else if you do. Take care of yourself and ACCEPT help from others. Find the unmet need. In my case and with a disease like lung cancer, our immediate unmet need was support for patients and families. Eventually that turned into access to information about the disease and treatment options and more funding for research so that there can be more survivors. All of those unmet needs put together are HUGE but taken a bit at a time they can be addressed. I'm not a researcher or a doctor, but I can navigate a patient during their journey to find the answers they may be looking for. I wasn't a social worker or therapist, but I could create a peer to peer support resource for people to walk the lung cancer journey together and build ways in which patients and families could help themselves. Find your unmet need and come up with an action plan to address it. Connect with others. There are other caregivers, family members, survivors and advocates who share your passion to advocate for your cause. Seek them out and connect with them on message boards, websites, and advocacy groups in your local community. Have phone calls, twitter chats, and meetups to discuss ways you can raise awareness and make an impact. If one person can make a difference, image what a group of like-minded people can do! Be gentle on yourself. I wish I would have taken this advice more. As caregivers to those we love we tend to take every victory and every setback personally. We also sacrifice our health and needs while caregiving. I remember when my dad passed away thinking that I hadn't done enough to "save him", as if anything I could have done would have stopped the progression of his cancer. "I didn't search the internet enough. I didn't explore 3rd or 4th opinions. I didn't tell enough jokes, pray enough or keep up a positive attitude 100 percent of the time. He didn't try alternative therapies." And a dozen other what-ifs and second-guessing-myself thoughts that flowed through my mind. Today, I know the outcome would have been the same no matter what I did then, and from that experience I take away the precious memories and moments I was able to share with him as his caregiver and his daughter. Looking back now I know the landscape of this disease enough to know that having access to information and treatment options, access to clinical trials and medications for side effects will make the road smoother for someone else. I know that having others to talk to can alleviate feelings of fear and guilt and isolation. Those are the unmet needs I've been trying to address. Seek out support for yourself and your loved one while you are actively walking through cancer. And when you are no longer caregiving and ready to be an advocate, surround yourself with others who believe in your cause, will support you and help you to succeed. Finally, don't lose hope. Even if things don't work out exactly like you planned, don't lose hope that one day there will be more. More support, more treatment options, more awareness, more research and more survivors. I absolutely believe that there isn't anything greater than hope. It picks you up when you've been knocked down. It hugs you when you feel defeated, carries you when you receive good news, and it's the whispered promise that everything you have done and everything that you will do, matters. Katie Brown is the Director for Support and Advocacy for LUNGevity Foundation.

Good for your brother! I'm so glad to see that she will receive treatment as she wishes. That is GREAT news! Thank you for keeping us posted. Cindy

It's Friday! I've got some 80's quietly playing in the background today. The skies here in Texas are blue again, it is slightly chilly (around 38 this am) but the sun is out and it is beautiful. How was your week?

Feng Jiang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, and his colleagues at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, have been awarded a research grant from LUNGevity Foundation to identify sputum biomarkers that could ultimately serve as the basis for the early detection of lung cancer. Dr. Jiang is collaborating on this project with pulmonologists, oncologists, and thoracic surgeons with extensive experience in all aspects of lung cancer care. Various groups are now starting to recommend low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans for people at high risk for lung cancer, because the test can detect lung cancer earlier and reduce mortality by 20 percent. However, because LDCT only has a 61 percent specificity, it creates a lot of false-positive results. To help eliminate the emotional and financial costs associated with a false lung cancer diagnosis, Dr. Jiang has been working to develop a sputum test to help clarify LDCT results. His groundbreaking work on sputum biomarkers garnered a lot of attention in 2009, including being highlighted on NBC News. However, those biomarkers were not efficient enough to use in clinical settings. Building on his previous experiences in identifying sputum biomarkers and wielding the most advanced technologies available, Dr. Jiang is taking new approaches to identify highly efficient biomarkers in sputum to complement LDCT when diagnosing early-stage lung cancer. “The recommendations in favor of LDCT are great steps in the right direction,” says Dr. Jiang. “But this emphasis on lung cancer screening makes the need for a complementary early detection test even more urgent.” If successful, Dr. Jiang’s research will help physicians avoid prescribing potentially harmful treatments in patients who do not have lung cancer. In addition, it could help control health care costs for patients and their families. Ultimately, by improving the reliability of lung cancer diagnoses, this work could help save many lives.

Skinny 3-Cheese Penne Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Yield: 8 servings Serving size: Appox.1 cup Ingredients 1/2 cup diced onion 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp from the jar) 1 -23.25 oz jar no-sugar-added pasta sauce 1 -12 oz package penne pasta 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese 2 cups low-fat, shredded mozzarella cheese 1 tsp pepper 1 Tbsp fresh oregano, diced (or 1 tsp dried) 1 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, diced (or 1 tsp dried) Instructions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook penne according to the package instructions for al dente, about 10 minutes. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes. Turn down heat to medium-low. Add the entire jar of pasta sauce to the onion and garlic, stir. Drain pasta and add to pasta sauce. In a medium size bowl combine cottage cheese, ricotta, 1.5 cups of mozzarella and herbs. In a 9x13 pan, add 1/2 pasta mixture. Then spread all of the cheese mixture evenly on top. Next, layer the remaining pasta. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the shredded mozzarella. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Nutrition Information Calories: 198 Fat: 2g Carbohydrates: 40g Fiber: 7g Protein: 10g Sugars: 8g Sodium: 334mg Vitamin A: 8% Vitamin C: 5% Calcium: 5% Iron: 3%

Preview of @IASLC Targeted Therapies in #Lung Cancer Conference Preview of IASLC Targeted Therapies in Lung Cancer Conference February 17th, 2014 - by Dr. Jack West In a few days I’ll be heading back to Santa Monica, CA for the now 14th Annual Target Therapies of Lung Cancer Meeting, sponsored by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). This meeting is always an exciting one that introduces early work with an incredible array of new treatments while, on top of that, providing status updates for a few dozen agents and combinations. How much do we cover? There are nearly 200 short presentations packed into 2.5 days, along with a few keynote lectures as well. Obviously, that’s too much information for me to provide a synopsis of every brief talk (most are 5 minutes, a minority 10-15 minutes), but it gives you a sense of the magnitude of research being conducted on targeted therapies. What I wanted to do now was tell you about the main topics of what we’ll be discussing. I’ll plan to cover many of these categories with a post summarizing some of the concepts, agents, and combinations in the weeks after the conference. The meeting kicks off on Wednesday night with a keynote presentation by Dr. Pasi Janne from Dana Farber Cancer Institute, with whom I did my residency in Boston before I moved to Seattle. He went on to do much of the pioneering work on discovery of the activating EGFR mutations, and he’ll turn to discussion of the field in 2014, including “current opportunities and challenges.” I’d bet that his talk will merit a post in its own right. The main program begins Thursday, focusing on EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC. We’ll be covering ideas for acquired resistance, such as whether to treat with the same targeted therapy beyond progression, radiation for focal progression (a talkl being delivered by our own Dr. Weiss), and even the potential role of Iressa (gefitinib) if it might return to the US. Of course, current questions also include second generation, irreversible EGFR inhibitors such as dacomitinib and Gilotrif (afatinib), the latter being studied with and without Erbitux (cetuximab). And then there are even third generation EGFR inhibitors such as CO1686, AZD9291, EGFR816, and HM61713 that may prove to be effect options for patients with acquired resistance to a first generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Beyond single agents, another question for managing EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC is whether combinations are more effective than single agent therapy. Combinations of various EGFR TKIS with the Met inhibitor onartuzumab (MetMAb) or crizotinib, the heat shock protein inhibitor AUY 922, the ALK and Met inhibitor crizotinib, and several others are all being explored. Of course, most people with lung cancer don’t have an EGFR mutation, so the conference will then turn to treatment options for patients with EGFR wild type (no mutation). We’ll discuss Erbitux with and without radiation, the monoclonal antibody necitumumab that was recently announced as improving survival combined with chemotherapy in the “SQUIRE” trial.Sym 004 is alsoa combination of EGFR-directed antibodies that is being looked at in this setting. We’ll also discuss the evidence supporting approaches like the serum-based VeriStrat test, arguably useful for predicting utility of Tarceva (erlotinib) compared with chemotherapy in the EGFR wild type population. The meeting will then shift gears to cover therapies for ALK-positive patients, including a variety of new ALK inhibitors and also heat shock protein inhibitors that areincreasingly being recognized as a potentially effectively treatment for patients with an ALK rearrangement. There are so many of these agents being tested and presented that I’ll need to cover this topic in a dedicated post after the meeting. With several new treatments with high response rates and prolonged duration of response in the metastatic disease setting, it’s appropriate to ask about the pros and cons of importing targeted therapies into earlier stage disease. We’ll discuss some previously conducted and also some current trials looking at adjuvant (post-operative) EGFR or ALK inhibitors for the patients with their respective driver mutations. With so many potentially important targets, every year we need to ask what the best way to test should be, ranging from genomic sequencing to a test generally done in local hospitals called immunohistochemistry, to a more specialized test called fluorescence in situ hybridization (or FISH) done at regional labs, to a gene or protein signature that looks for patterns in the tumor to predict clinical behavior and/or responsiveness to treatments. The meeting continues with an entire afternoon of discussion about a wide range of novel targets, including RET, ROS, BRAF, HER2, Met, FGFR, DDR2, IGF-1, and even more. Each of these has several drugs targeting them that is being developed for potential utility for lung cancer. With about 50 short presentations covering just this collection of novel targets, I hope you can get a sense of how much research is being done. Amazingly, this only covers the first half of the meeting. I’ll provide a preview of the second half in an upcoming part II. http://expertblog.lungevity.org/2014/02 ... onference/

This petition will help tell the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) you want them to provide coverage for LC screening. Please sign, and ask everyone you know to sign it: http://www.change.org/petitions/centers ... -with-ldct

Dark Chocolate-Cherry Granola Bars February is not only known for Valentine’s day, but it is also Celebration of Chocolate Month, National Cherry Month, and National Fiber Focus Month. We wanted to bring all these amazing things together and share a healthy recipe that you can share with your Valentine this year. No Valentine? Even better–you don’t have to share. store bought granola bars are not always as healthy as they seem, and often have tons of added sugar and artificial ingredients. Homemade granola bars are not only healthier but are also much tastier. This version is packed with fiber from chia seeds and oats, and protein from a variety of nuts and seeds. The combination of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and dried cherries makes this the perfect, healthy Valentine’s day treat! Ingredients: • 1 ½ C rolled oats • ¾ C packed pitted dates, quartered • ½ C water • ⅓ C creamy almond butter • ¼ C chia seeds • ¼ C sunflower seeds, roasted and unsalted • ⅓ C coarsely chopped almonds, roasted and unsalted • ⅓ C shredded sweetened coconut • ¼ C coarsely chopped dark chocolate (or use chips or chunks) • ¼ tsp sea salt Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Toast the oats for about 10-15 minutes until slightly brown and fragrant. Let cool and reduce oven to 325° F. 2. Soak the dates in water for about 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. 3. In a large bowl, combine seeds, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, and sea salt. 4. In a small food processor, blend half the toasted oats (¾ C) into a fine, flour-like powder. Add the oat flours and remained whole, toasted oats to the rest of the dry ingredients and mix. 5. Combine dates in water with almond butter in food processor and blend until smooth. Stir into the dry mixture. 6. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper. Press the granola bar mixture into a ¼-½ inch thick layer. Press it in very firmly to prevent granola bars from falling apart after baking. 7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm and slightly brown. 8. Allow to cool completely and cut into bars or whatever shape your heart desires! You can wrap these individually and keep in the refrigerator or freezer to have on hand for a quick, healthy snack. 9. Share with someone you love and enjoy! http://meals-to-heal.com/blog/a-recipe- ... nola-bars/

Hi Paul, How have you been?

Hi! let's say we were to have a jukebox in here. What song would you like to hear on it? Please reply with your song selection with your favorite part of the song and pass a quarter to someone who (hopefully) do the same. I'll go first. Song: Firework - Katy Perry Fave lyrics: I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar Louder, louder than a lion ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar here's a quarter for you!

Do you still have to stop and think about spelling Wednesday by silently thinking, WED-NES-DAY? I know I do. Haha! Donna - Has your weather eased up a bit? I hope it will so you will be able to breathe freely. Diane - How are you doing with the prednisone this week? Is your son's truck still on the bridge? New person reading this - How are you? What's on your mind? Oh, did you all see the survey I posted in "General"? If not, here is a link to it. I myself participated in it, and it was pretty short. I hope you'll take part in it too. http://dimensions.edgeresearch.com/e.as ... =C&ps1=FBX

Roasted Acorn Squash Salad Recipe 1/4 teaspoon(s) (or up to 1/2 teaspoon) crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon(s) Kosher salt 1 large (about 2 pounds) acorn squash, seeded and sliced 1/2 inch thick 3 tablespoon(s) olive oil 1 cup(s) apple cider 2 cup(s) pearl couscous 3 tablespoon(s) red wine vinegar 2 teaspoon(s) Dijon mustard 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced 4 cup(s) baby spinach 1/4 cup(s) toasted pecans, roughly chopped (optional) Read more: Roasted Acorn Squash Salad Recipe - Woman's Day Directions Heat oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the red pepper, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 2 tablespoon of oil, then the spice mixture. Arrange the squash in an even layer and roast, turning once, until lightly golden brown and tender, 18 to 22 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the cider to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Cook the couscous according to package directions. In a large bowl, whisk together the reduced cider, vinegar, mustard, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the cooked couscous, onion, and spinach to the dressing. Toss until the spinach is beginning to wilt, then carefully fold in the squash. Sprinkle with the pecans, if desired.

Hi Elyana, I'm glad you found us. I want to let you know that there are a lot of members on here who are surviving well after being diagnosed with stage 4 lc. My close friend has been a stage 4 survivor now for 5 years and almost 3 months. I hope this gives you hope. LUNGevity has many avenues to support you. I'm attaching a link that you can take a look at to see which might be a good fit for you in addition to posting here within LCSC http://events.lungevity.org/cg/peer-discussions.html Please continue to post here often and update us on how you & your Dad are doing. We will be here for you. Sincerely, Cindy