In 2013 started with pneumonia but wasn't getting over it, Dr. wouldn't give up something just not right he kept saying. Sent me to a pulmonary specialist who found a spot on my right lung. Immediately set up oncologist, surgeon & hospital within 7 days I was laying in the recovery room with minus -one lung. Come through with flying colors, home within 3 days, thought to myself piece of cake! Yeah wrong answer, started chemo 3 weeks later and within 24 hrs I was back in hospital dehydrated & sicker than a dog! Not going to sugarcoat it the next 4 months was hell! After that I refused radiation, oncologist wasn't happy, I didn't care. As of October 20 it has been 5 years & I was stage III B so don't believe the statistics, just never give up! and fight!
My story begins in May of 2013. I am a high school special education teacher and for weeks I had a nagging but dry cough, I wasn't worried about it at all as I was running 3 miles a day, just completed a 5k road race and was very rarely sick. I finally saw my primary care physician who put me on a Z-pack and I went back to my normal life. A few weeks later since the cough had not gone away, I went back to my doctor who gave me a prescription chest x-ray, which I immediately threw on the passenger side of my car and forgot about it. Fast forward 2 weeks later, on a whim I was passing by the x-ray facility and decided to run in and get and a chest x-ray. The next day my doctor called and said he saw something on my lungs that he didn't like and was pretty sure it was cancer. A few days later a bronchoscope was done, and as I was waking up from it I heard a doctor use the word malignant and I knew he was talking about me! Never have I been so scared, I actually made them show me the name of the person on the results, thinking this is a mistake. Non-smoker, 58 year old healthy individual, never gave a thought to lung cancer. It is now 2019 and I have seen targeted therapy, chemo therapy, have had 2 surgeries. I have been on immunotherapy for 2 1/2 years, which has kept me stable. I think maybe the key to success is exercising religiously and making the body stronger for each day that follows. With exercise comes a strong mental attitude… two winning combinations!
