@st Michael@skmcornett Thank you for your kind words, they are very much appreciated I am sorry to hear you have both been through similar situations. It really is so bitter sweet to have a community like this where we can all sympathize with each other's experiences, isn't it? I wish you both the best. I don't believe she has had the medistinoscopy that St Michael referenced. She did have an initial biopsy when the mass was discovered, and that came back with the non small cell lung cancer. Today I learned that the stage is "an informal stage 4." I say informal because the mass is very close to her heart and thus non operable, but it has not spread elsewhere as a typical stage IV. I am trying to not fixate on the stage but it is quite terrifying to hear.@skmcornett I am happy to hear that tour staging has not impacted your outlook or future plans. I take much inspiration from your positivity, so thank you. I read an article on cancer.org and based on the information I've been given I would have said IIB. I guess that's why it's important to take context and the individual into consideration. She is doing well. We were together over the holiday weekend and her energy levels and outlook were both positive. I am trying to stay cautiously optimistic but this all still feels quite surreal. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk