Hello,
My name is Jerry. I'm a 54 year old male cancer survivor writing this today in hopes of presenting a positive story for others in dealing with lung cancer.
When I went for a routine physical in January of 2006, I had no symptoms of any kind. I asked for a chest X-ray only because I had smoked for many years (I quit in 1999). The X-ray showed a mass the size of a lemon in my left lung. I was diagnosed with COPD and Stage 1B lung cancer in February of 2006. In March I had half of my left lung removed and had 4 rounds of chemo from June - July. In addition, I developed issues with my heart that required medication to control. At the end of my chemo, I could barely walk up and down a short flight of stairs or go to the mailbax without difficulties breathing. Knowing that I needed to do something to improve my aerobic capacity, I came up with the goal to "run" a 5K race by the end of the year. I did my first race in October of 2006 (3.1 miles in 35 minutes). Another race followed in November and running became easier and more enjoyable. My breathing improved, my heart got stronger (I am no longer on any medications) and I changed my goals to include a 10K (6.2 miles) race. I never found a 10K to run in but my running improved to the point that in March of 2007 I came up with an insane goal of running in a half marathon (13.1 miles). I did a 10 mile race last month (1 hour 58 minutes)and will run in the Outer Banks half-marathon in NC this coming weekend. I also lost 45 pounds. Quite a journey from where I was a little over a year ago but one achieved through hard work, a positive outlook and support from many others. I hope this serves to give others hope and inspiration to fight this terrible thing we call lung cancer. Despite my physical improvements, there are still a lot of emotional issues that are dealt with daily. Putting them in writing helps. Thank you for letting me put these words on paper for you to read.