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LaurenH

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Blog Entries posted by LaurenH

  1. LaurenH
    Becoming Empowered Advocates
    My wife, Heather, told me about LUNGevity National HOPE Summit and that she wanted to attend. She received a Travel Grant from LUNGevity and I decided to join her at the conference. It is one of the best things we ever did. The wealth of information about lung cancer available through LUNGevity is not comparable to anything I could find in Canada or through any Canadian organizations. LUNGevity is so caring, thoughtful, and cutting edge.
    Heather and I attended our first National HOPE Summit in 2016. It was so incredibly inspiring. We got to see first-hand that the statistics are just numbers, not individual expiry dates. The number of people in attendence was impressive and the conference was well organized. We met people from across North America who embodied hope and positivity. It felt like a family. The medical professionals at this event were amazing. They spoke with my wife and gave her their contact information if they could ever assist her in any way in the future. After that experience, I felt empowered to become an advocate and to get involved with awareness events with my wife in our home province of New Brunswick.
    I followed LUNGevity on Twitter and I joined the LUNGevity Caregivers group on Facebook. I started participating in a few of LUNGevity’s LC Caregiver Twitter chats, which are held the first Wednesday of every month. I utilized the #stopthestigma hashtag on Twitter whenever possible. I volunteered to be a LifeLine Support Mentor to provide peer-to-peer support to other caregivers, and I joined LUNGevity’s Social Media Ambassadors to help raise awareness online.
    My goal is to raise awareness of lung cancer as the number one cancer killer, taking more lives annually than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers combined, while receiving the least amount of federal funding for research. I hope that my advocacy efforts will help other caregivers through sharing my experience, strength, and hope.
    Whenever I can, I join my wife in her advocacy work. It is important to us to stay educated on new treatments, research, and changes within the lung cancer community. We continuously meet with Federal and Provincial politicians to educate them about lung cancer, to lobby for equal access to health care, to promote genetic testing, and to demand equal catastrophic drug coverage in Canada.
    Heather lends her name and story to different publications to spread the word about lung cancer. Through social media, she has connected with doctors and research scientists across Canada to support their requests for research funding. The most recent was through a connection with a very passionate doctor at the Dalhousie University Research Foundation.
    I hope to help educate the greater public that if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. It’s not “just” a smoker’s disease and smoking is listed as a possible cause for all cancers. Lung cancer patients do not deserve this disease. I plan to continue to volunteer at events in my area to help raise funds for research and to promote the work and resources available through LUNGevity. And Heather and I look forward to attending National HOPE Summit together this spring.

  2. LaurenH
    I first got involved with LUNGevity in early 2013. My husband had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer and I was looking to participate in a walk to raise the much needed funds for research.
    I chose to work with LUNGevity because I saw that they had many walk/runs throughout the country. Prior to my husband's diagnosis I didn't know much about lung cancer and like most people believed it was unlikely to ever touch my life as we both have never smoked. After his diagnosis I learned that it's the deadliest of all cancers yet the least funded. And LUNGevity is one of the very few that focuses on lung cancer specifically.
    I contacted LUNGevity asking if they had a walk in my area - Albany, NY. I first spoke with Diana Aldecoa, the Vice President of Breathe Deep Events, and she indicated that the closest was Syracuse and asked if I was interested in starting one. I organized the first Breathe Deep Albany that year.

    I believe Breathe Deep Albany has been growing steadily in terms of participation and money raised over the last four years. It's been a welcome and much needed event in our community to support those bravely dealing with this disease. It's been a way for survivors to support each other and spread the word about lung cancer. It's a place for those who have lost someone to remember them and raise money in their memory to help those living with the disease and hopefully to find a cure so others don't have to go through what their loved one had to endure.
    I know Breathe Deep Albany is very much appreciated and supported by NYOH (New York Oncology Hematology). My husband's oncologist has been a lung cancer specialist for many years in this area and has said that this event has been needed in the community.

    I'm proud that we've built this event up year by year. The first year we raised $15,000, second year $22,000, third year $25,000 and this past year nearly $43,000. That's over $100,000 raised in our little community. I'm always very proud on event day when everything comes together. The program we hold before the walk is inspiring. We hear from brave survivors who are willing to tell their stories and the remarkable doctors in the area telling us all the new developments on the horizon.

    I hope our fundraising efforts raise enough money to find a cure or at least the next line of defense in terms of meds. I'd also like to see a test developed to detect lung cancer earlier for everyone so that it becomes routine like mammograms.

  3. LaurenH

    Ryan Gardenhire's Story

    By LaurenH,

    After losing my mother to lung cancer in 2010, I had been looking for ways to help raise awareness for the disease and educate people that lung cancer is not just a “smoker’s disease.” My mother's efforts at raising awareness were very important to her and I wanted to honor her life and efforts by continuing that community outreach.
    After participating in Breathe Deep Nashville in 2012, I indicated in a post-race survey that I would be interested in helping out the following year. One of the coordinators reached out to me and asked if I would be willing to join the planning committee and I’ve been involved ever since. This past November was my 4th Breathe Deep Nashville to help plan.
    We usually start working on our November event in March or April, so there is obviously a lot that goes into putting together an event like this. The reward for me after all that is honoring the same group of survivors year after year knowing that we are helping to fund a Foundation that supports them in ways no other lung cancer focused organization does. We are lengthening lives through early detection and focused therapies. We are providing survivors and their caregivers with the support and resources they need. We are making a difference.
    We are very fortunate in Nashville to have an amazing group of doctors at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center working on research and treatments to help end this disease.  I choose to continue volunteering my time for the LUNGevity Foundation because some of the funds we raise come directly back to Nashville. Dr. Jonathan Lehman was a recipient of the LUNGevity Career Development Award in 2016. Through that grant I can see our fundraising efforts impacting his amazing research.
    I hope our fundraising efforts will help us to realize a world where no one dies from lung cancer: a world where no one has to lose their mother too early like I did.
     

    Ryan is pictured sixth from the left. The theme of Breathe Deep Nashville is "Stache and Lash" so participants grow or wear fake mustaches and false eyelashes to add creativity and laughter to event day!
  4. LaurenH

    Jordan Meyerson

    By LaurenH,

    I was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer on September 19, 2016. The doctor told us that it was inoperable and radiation was not an option. It felt as though I’d been punched in the stomach. I immediately began thinking of my children and my wife, Lisa, and that my time here on Earth was very limited. I had no words that day, only utter despair.
    As the initial shock wore off, and the option of getting selected for a trial medication was offered, I realized that I may have a chance at fighting cancer and not letting cancer "fight" me. I’m ALK positive, so I was able to start taking a targeted therapy drug. It was shortly after the diagnosis and when I had no choice but to accept this as my fate, that I made the decision to fight this disease by becoming proactive in my care. I have always been a man of strong faith, and God has not failed me yet. Sometimes it takes something so big to appreciate waking up each day to your family and the people you love!  I pray to God every night to give me another day.
    I was looking for an organization that focused on spreading awareness about lung cancer and funding research. I also liked that LUNGevity provided so many different types of support. We created a team for Breathe Deep Boca Raton, a 5K walk and run that raised lung cancer awareness and funds for LUNGevity for research and support programs.
    My wife and I are very active in our community, so we started reaching out to people to encourage them to come out and support the event. We advertised in local restaurants and reached out to local schools and youth recreation programs, and got some things going. My kids and I used social media to spread the word and I followed up with phone calls to remind people to show up. A friend of mine is in a band, so we asked them to come out and play live music at the event. Parts of the event are more somber, when we’re honoring the people we’ve lost to this disease, but other parts are uplifting and hopeful when we talk about research and the progress being made.
    I think the impact in the community is two-fold. First, it helps to raise awareness about lung cancer. I felt so strongly about making sure people realize that lung cancer isn’t only for smoker. And it also brings awareness about LUNGevity and that this a specific organization to help people impacted by lung cancer. I’m grateful for the research and medication and for the support of my family, friends, and the community.
    I hope the fundraising goes toward research to help find more targeted therapies. We need to fund research for treatment options that increase survival rates and help contain and manage the disease. I’m ALK positive, and there are treatments for that specific mutation, but I’d like them to find treatments for other mutations as well.
    I still look at the glass half full, because today, I am still here. My loving wife and children stand with me every day in this long, tedious, sometimes unbearable cancer journey. Through my positive energy and prayers we stay strong, and in September 2017, we celebrated my one-year cancerversary!
     
     

  5. LaurenH

    Jan Poulsen's Story

    By LaurenH,

    It came as quite a surprise when I was first diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer in 2007. It was an even bigger shock to learn that my lung cancer was caused by exposure to high levels of radon gas in my own home. I want to keep sharing my story with the hope that it might prevent others from getting lung cancer from radon gas. 
    My husband and I did extensive renovations on our house to turn it into our dream home. About five years later, I developed a nagging cough. I went to the doctor, who sent me for a CT scan. The scan showed a mass in my right lung, so we scheduled an appointment with a pulmonologist to have a biopsy. The doctor who performed the biopsy called to tell me that I had lung cancer and that it was inoperable. He told me that I had four months to live. 
    My husband had just returned from a trip to Africa and my mother was staying with us while she recovered from surgery. I turned on the T.V. and Jordin Sparks was singing, “This is My Now” and it just hit me that “you can sit here and feel sorry for yourself or you can fight it.” It’s crazy how the universe works.
    Shortly after I was diagnosed, we had our home tested for radon gas, the second leading cause of lung cancer. The test showed levels that were 6-times the EPA recommended action level. I had my right lung removed and underwent 5 weeks of radiation and 4 months of chemotherapy. I started to gain my strength back and started looking for a lung cancer community. 
    In the beginning, there was very little information about lung cancer. I couldn’t find anyone to talk to. Then my daughter found out about LUNGevity and a walk they were holding in Manhatten Beach, California, called Breathe Deep Los Angeles. She said we should go there on a girls’ trip. Who wouldn't want to go to the beach after dealing with lung cancer treatment? My first Breathe Deep experience was so inspirational. There were over 350 people walking whose lives had somehow been touched by lung cancer. I’d never been to anything like that and there was nothing like that where I lived near Salt Lake City. When we got home, my other daughter said, “Why don’t we start one here?” So we held our first Breathe Deep Salt Lake City in 2012. 
    I remained cancer free for 6 years, then in 2014  they found a fist-sized tumor in the front of my brain and a smaller tumor in the back which was metastasized lung cancer. They were able to remove those tumors and I went back into remission until that December, when they found 6 more brain tumors. I underwent surgeries to remove those, and then in January 2015, I started on a new chemo pill that I take orally. This treatment has worked very well for me and now there are four more on the market that would work just as well or better if this one stopped working. This is why I am so passionate to raise funds for lung cancer research. I am living proof that it works. The new treatments are so effective and amazing, but researchers need funding to find a cure.  Lung Cancer research receives the least amount of federal funding of all types of cancer, yet it is the deadliest. I feel it is so important to raise funds to improve outcomes for lung cancer patients. 
    I think the most rewarding thing about being a Breathe Deep event coordinator is to see people coming back year after year because they know it’s a good cause. It makes you realize how many people care about health and our lungs. The more people you talk to, the more you find that they have a connection to lung cancer, whether it’s a family member or friend. In addition to raising funds and awareness, we try to provide information at our event. We have speakers who talk about new discoveries in lung cancer treatment and radon. 
    In fact, just because we’ve been raising awareness, a lot of the real estate agents are on board with getting homes they sell tested for radon gas. A local organization that does radon testing is even donating $20 of every radon test they do to LUNGevity. They’re promoting the walk to all of the real estate agencies that they work with. It’s amazing how generous people are. At first, I thought I can’t go around asking for free stuff. But I’ve found that people are willing to help! 
    I really feel like the grassroots is the way to reach people. I’ve had more success talking to people one-on-one. We’ve done some women’s groups and I’ve spoken at classes on Radon. I also worked with a social worker to put together a lung cancer support group. The online groups are great, but sometimes, you just really need to talk so somebody in person. In addition to LUNGevity, I’ve also been doing a lot with the Utah Radon coalition. And I’m going to be speaking at the international radon convention in New Orleans in October. I want to show that there’s a face to lung cancer caused by radon gas. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. Preventing lung cancer is so much easier and less costly than treating lung cancer.
     

  6. LaurenH

    Mary Spencer

    By LaurenH,

    Time is supposed to heal our wounds, that’s what people say; but when you lose your best friend you realize that no amount of time will heal that void that is left.
    My mother was diagnosed with non small cell lung carcinoma three months after I turned eighteen, only weeks after what would turn out to be our last family portrait. The day the test results came back the only words I heard during the meeting were “cancer” which meant someday I’d be burying her. I don’t recall anything else; but she heard something very different she heard “cancer” and thought how do I fight this and win.
    She had an amazing oncology team that outfitted her with an aggressive and varied game plan and a thing called a port; but the most important thing they both shared was an optimistic attitude. When they gave her the port in her chest where she would get her chemotherapy , she was not upset that she had to get a port or that she was having chemicals placed in her body and hoping they would work; nope she was upset she was not the first person to get the port , she was number two. When they decided on radiation she got her long beautiful brown hair cut off into a short cute style and donated it for other people to get a wig; after all hers would grow back when she was in remission. She had an amazing belief that God would not have given her this to battle if she were not capable. She believed it was given to her because she was supposed to teach someone, somewhere, something and it may not be during her battle or during her remission it may be long after her death ; but if one person was saved or one person learned something than the fight was worth it.
    We took the time we were given and made amazing memories going to see our favorite places like Red Rocks or the buffalo herd, we also made memories and new traditions when we spent time in the hospital. If we were there during football season we ordered pizza and had it delivered to her room and then invited her nurses to come have a snack and catch up on the score. We enjoyed watching animated movies and we even got her a Gameboy to play the mind teaser games while she sat for hours getting chemo. In January, we received word our dad had suddenly passed, my parents had divorced when I was two. Her concern while she was in a hospital bed was not herself, but was us , her kids. Several months later we got a phone call that her father had unexpectedly passed away. She was a daddy’s girl and was unable to travel to his funeral so we filmed it for her. When we were in another state, our “sister from another mister”, her friend from work who was like a daughter to her, stayed with her while we buried our dad. It was on this trip we almost lost her, her blood pressure was so low they said they didn’t know how she was awake and talking. She persevered.
    As she grew weaker we made final plans, it was an enormously painful task asking her to decide where she wanted to be buried, what songs she wanted played and writing her will and her making the decision to not be resuscitated. Her wish was to die at home and we wanted to give her that. She had sacrificed her life for us, given us everything we could have ever wanted. She fought incredibly hard, she was my superman and I was watching her die and there was nothing I could do about it. She said that her goal was just to make it to January, so that her kids didn’t lose both their parents in the same year, but she would not make it. I remember begging God to either heal her or take her but I was not fair to make her stay just for us. It was not fair to make her suffer when she gave us such a wonderful life, after all we had each other to lean on. She deserved to be at peace.
    Fifteen days after her fifty-fifth birthday we made the calls to have everyone say their goodbyes. She was aware of where she was so we brought photographs and blankets and loved on her, the nurses said she knew we were there but she couldn’t respond or open her eyes or anything. I gave her a kiss and told her it was okay to go, that she didn’t have to stay here in pain for us, she deserved to be happy and at peace with the family in heaven.
    I stayed with her and she passed on October 18, 2007.
    This year marks ten years since she has been gone, she has missed so much. I enlisted in the military, my brother is dating a wonderful woman, my sister got married and her and her wife have an adorable son. I got married and have a now five year old step son, bought a house and will complete my college degree this year. She gave us life and taught us about everything from friendship to how to do laundry but most importantly she taught us to never give up because even cancer can be beaten. It was not a physical victory, but victory for the soul.
    No matter what happened through her illness she never let it define her as a person. She was able to complete one last thing on her bucket list when she earned her wings: she was able to be an organ donor and donate her eyes to someone who needed them. Even in her death she was able to put someone else before herself ! Please if you are fighting this illness know that there is hope, it may not end up being a physical victory but if you keep your sense of humor and your love of life than cancer can never truly be victorious. God bless you on your trip down the yellow-brick road!
    In loving memory: Patricia Fay Hartlep (October 3, 1952- October 18, 2007)
    Thank you to all those who care for those fighting! Bless those who love those struggling and rejoice for those who have earned their wings!
  7. LaurenH

    John Hill's Story

    By LaurenH,

    I found out that I had lung cancer back in August of 1999. I had 3 bouts of pneumonia in the first 6 months of that year. The last chest X-ray showed an area of concern. The next step was to have a CT scan of the area. I had the CT and they saw a blockage in my right lung between the lower and middle lobes. I was sent to see a pulmonologist and he scheduled a biopsy. He preformed the biopsy and they found a tumor that was blocking the area of my main bronchi between those two lower lobes. They tested the sample from the biopsy and it showed Non Small Cell lung cancer. I was staged at 2B.
    At that time they asked if I’d be willing to try a new approach in treatment. I said yes. The new procedure was to give me 6 rounds of chemo then 39 radiation treatments and the surgery to remove my two lower lobes in my right lung. The “old” way was to reverse those steps. Since then they have found no change in survival rates doing it one way or the other. My comment is 18 years and I’m still here. I think it worked great!
    Of course all these years later things have changed but not until recently. When I was diagnosed the Internet was in its infancy. There were no lung cancer support groups on line or in hospitals. We didn’t live long enough as a group to have a call for them. There were cancer in general groups but I was on the young side of the equation which put me in a smaller population. I wish there had been more groups or on line groups.
    I had a young family, I owned a small landscaping business and I paid my own health insurance. My wife was a stay at home mom who worked part time. We had decided it was more important to us to have the children have a parent available and I would just work longer. At that time my heath insurance was an HMO and was the cheapest I could find. But this is when the health insurance crisis started. My premium went from under $400.00 a month to over $1800.00 a month in a year’s time. I somehow managed to stay working through treatment and the surgery. Thank you my friends, relatives, and employees who carried a lot of the load. After surgery my wife had to go to work full time to get us health insurance. For a few months we somehow made it without insurance.
    I started the survivorship journey dealing with multiple doctors’ appointments, testing appointments and running a business. It was not easy but as with anything you make adjustments to fit it in. You have to. The first five years of this survivorship was learning how to negotiate my way. I’m in a physical business. I can’t do what I used to. I had had a bad back for years since the cancer, my back has been great! I can’t swing a sledgehammer or chase a lawn mower or anything rough that I used to do. Instead I worked my way around it. I bought a riding mower, can’t do all the lawns I used to but I can mow larger lawns easier. I can’t move wheelbarrows full of soil, rocks or even plants but I can run a tractor and do it that way. I can’t run anywhere but I walk and I get there slower but not that much slower. You will find new ways to do things and or you don’t do something’s.
    I remember my wife asking the surgeon what will my husband be able to do after the surgery. He said well if he said he played tennis, I’d say he couldn’t play that anymore. I guess the look on her face made him ask why do you ask. He owns his own landscaping business. Oh, hmmmm, I have never told a patient that they couldn’t do something but you’ll know what you can or can’t do. So that’s how I took how I’d live my life. I’ll try to do everything and see if I can. If I have to perform this or that I will find away.
    Over time I have realized how lucky I’ve been to survive this long. After a few years I went searching the Internet for someway for me to give back. I found the Lung Cancer Alliance through their website and online support group. That is when I started to talk to anyone who was newly diagnosed with lung cancer. I vowed I would try to make sure that no one would start this journey without someone to say I know how you feel and it’s ok to be scared, alone, and despondent. No one knows what it is like to have someone tell you, you have lung cancer, any questions? As they did to me the very first time anyone even mentioned to me that I had cancer. Scared is not even close to how I felt.
    I found out about LUNGevity from a couple of survivors who were on another site. I also found that I noticed more advocacy from LUNGevity in respect to serving the lung cancer community, informational posts that I found very interesting and the very active organization that seemed to be everywhere reaching out to those in need. It certainly fit with my own advocacy thoughts about trying to reach out to the newly diagnosed.
    As a closing thought, try to always keep in your mind, there is always hope, hope not only for today but for tomorrow and the next day and the day after that!

  8. LaurenH

    Rose Vining's Story

    By LaurenH,

    I was diagnosed with lung cancer in August of 2011 out of the blue, totally unexpected. I went for a regular checkup after experiencing some gastric reflux and abdominal pain. The doctor suggested an abdominal CT scan. He called me back into his office and told me that, although the scan was of my abdomen, a part of my lung had been included. A little shadow had shown up there that concerned him. He asked me to undergo a second CT scan, this time of my lungs. That scan revealed a prominent area of masslike consolidation in my left lower lobe. The next day I saw my pulmonologist, who scheduled me for a needle biopsy. At the time, he didn’t think that the scan findings really indicated a lung cancer. I was not concerned either, as I had never smoked and had little history of cancer in my family.
    I was traveling home from a visit with some friends when I got the call from the hospital. The emotional voice on the other end was cracking. I didn’t even realize that it was my pulmonologist. He said, “We got the results from your biopsy. You have a very large tumor taking up most of the left lower lobe of your lung. We have to get this right away. We’ll get through this honey.” It was surreal. I thought it was a mistake.
    I was diagnosed with non-small cell adenocarcinoma. They scheduled surgery right away to remove a lobe of my left lung. That was followed by chemotherapy. It was a very tough time. After I recovered from that surgery and the chemo, I just wanted to go back to my life. I’d been very happy with my life. I was a volunteer chaplain. I didn’t know any other survivors and I didn’t want to think about lung cancer anymore. They said I only had 15% chance of the cancer coming back so I wasn’t going to worry about it.
    A year later, the cancer came back. Looking at the scan, I felt like I was in a nightmare. The second surgery to remove the rest of my left lung was easier, because I knew what to expect. But after that surgery and treatment, I knew I needed to get plugged in and started searching online for an organization that could help.
    I liked that LUNGevity Foundation was constantly posting helpful information and seemed focused on survivors. Before I was diagnosed with cancer, I had enjoyed the experience of mentoring, so I applied to be a LifeLine support partner. Nikole from LUNGevity reached out and invited me to attend the HOPE Summit survivorship conference. One of my friends went with me and we had such a wonderful time. HOPE Summit changed my life.
    Before that time, I had been pretty isolated as a survivor. When I walked in and saw that many survivors, I was amazed and overwhelmed. Hearing others share their experiences changed my whole attitude. The main thing I came away with after HOPE Summit is “be your own advocate.” My amazing friends that I met through LUNGevity connected me with my current doctors at UT Southwest.
    Any time that you need support from LUNGevity, it is available. I am a LifeLine mentor to other survivors, but I also have LifeLine mentors who have helped me through two recurrences of cancer. They’ve really inspired me and kept me looking forward. Mentoring is a two-way relationship. If they’re feeling down, I can help them and if I’m feeling down, they can help me. It is so rewarding. I’m also a LUNGevity Social Media Ambassador.
    I’m a big believer in the power of connection. If we isolate ourselves, we focus more on the negatives and everything that’s wrong. But if you’re out there connecting with other survivors, you’re sharing the ups and the downs, you’re not alone. It really helps. The advice I like to share with other people who have lung cancer is if you don’t like what one doctor says, it’s very important to be your own advocate. It’s your life!

  9. LaurenH

    Sam McBride

    By LaurenH,

    Around the first of December 2015 I noticed I was having some shortness of breath when I climbed the flight of stairs to my apartment. I didn't think much of it at the time. I just chalked it up to my age (62) and being out of shape. As time went on the shortness of breath became worse and I developed a persistent cough with some transient hoarseness. I decided it was time to see the doctor.
    My primary care provider diagnosed me with asthma/bronchitis, which I had many times over the years in the past. He put me on an antibiotic and an inhaler which usually worked. As the days went by and I did not get any better, I went back to see him. He switched the antibiotic and prescribed a cough syrup. I still wasn’t getting relief, so I went back a couple more times. The doctor seemed to be getting frustrated with me, and I knew I needed to see a specialist.
    I scheduled an appointment with a pulmonologist. A chest x-ray showed a large pleural effusion. I underwent a thoracentesis, which revealed malignant cells in the fluid. A CT also showed several masses in my right lung. I was sent to a thoracic surgeon who performed a pluerodisis and biopsy. The biopsy revealed stage 4 metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that tested positive for the ALK mutation.
    After learning about the advancements in the treatment of NSCLC, especially in the ALK mutation, I chose to have treatment. My oncologist recommended an oral targeted therapy drug Xalkori (crizotinib). He explained that the drug was not a "cure" but was very effective in shrinking or slowing tumor growth, which it did with very few side effects. 
    Shortly after being diagnosed and before beginning treatment with Xalkori I started researching everything I could find about lung cancer just trying to get a better understanding of my disease and find support from others who were dealing with lung cancer, it was during this research that I came upon the  LUNGevity website. The name was the first thing that attracted me, I thought it was a neat play on the word longevity but as I began reading I soon realized there was a wealth of information and support there and that the organizaton was very actively involved with funding for research which really appealed to me because I feel it is through research that a cure will one day be found.                 
    I liked what I learned and decided to become a Social Media Ambassador so that I could help spread the word about lung cancer and clear up some misconceptions about the disease. I attended a Hope summit put on by Lungevity in Washington DC where I was even more impressed with the organization and the wonderful people involved with it. 
    The LUNGevity website, Inspire, and the Alkies Worldwide Facebook group have been valuable resources of information and support for me. I am also a member of a cancer support group at my church.
    The biggest challenge to me is always living with this disease in the back of my mind. Every scan or blood test reminds me that there is a potential killer living in my body and I don't know what it is up to until I get my results. It is as much a mental disease as it is a physical one.
    To me, a survivor is a person who has overcome something bad and lived to tell about it.
    If I could give any advice or words of wisdom to a newly diagnosed patient, I would first tell them that lung cancer is no longer the automatic death sentence that it was in the past. I would tell them to demand gene mutation testing so they know what kinds of treatment options are available. I would also tell them that lung cancer treatment is a waiting game. It’s helpful to distract yourself with life and not to focus solely on this disease. Don't give lung cancer that much power over you!
    I hope that my efforts as a volunteer will help raise awareness and funds for lung cancer research. I want to make people aware that it only takes lungs to get lung cancer.
     

    Sam and her husband Bob in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, shortly after her diagnosis.
  10. LaurenH

    Ruthe Cain

    By LaurenH,

    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.
  11. LaurenH

    Charlotte Jamison

    By LaurenH,

    By: Deborah R. Burns
    “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, A soul generated by love.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Charlotte Jamison is many things: a Christian, a mother, a teacher, a friend, and a volunteer.
    Over the past two years, Charlotte has volunteered her time and talents to assist in the efforts of the LUNGevity Foundation’s Annual Breathe Deep DC 5K Walk.  Charlotte serves as the backbone and chief fundraiser for Team Open Technology Group: (OTG) United for A Cure.
    Charlotte and my family have been friends longer than I can remember. She and my husband Leon had a special relationship. I still remember how they would often laugh together, share experiences, and enjoy working together on church projects. After my husband was diagnosed with lung cancer, she was the key person who supported me and walked me through that unforgettable journey. Since my husband’s death in 2011, she continues to be a huge inspiration in my healing.
    A member of New Canaan Baptist Church in Washington, DC. (Gregory M. Sims, Pastor), Charlotte has engaged the entire congregation in being part of this important cancer-fighting effort. She sets up a beautifully decorated table each year to receive donations and to recruit walkers for the OTG Team. She and her helpers work tirelessly documenting information, promoting the cause, and speaking to individuals about the walk.
    On the day of the walk she always arrives with a smile and eager to help.  She immediately begins handing out goodie bags, gathering our Team and rallying “Team Spirit”.  Many of the volunteers from other teams admire her enthusiasm and dedication for the cause.
    She inspires through example.  I can never thank her enough for all that she brings to our Team and fighting this disease that claims thousands of lives each year. Did I mention that she’s 80 years young! God strengthens her to do His work. She often says “As long as the good Lord enables me to work, I’m going to work.”
    Open Technology Group’s cup runneths over for having Charlotte Jamison serve as a volunteer for OTG: United For A Cure. We are truly blessed by having her.

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