[Hi]

Your Dads situation is similar to mine. I think right now you are probably overwhelmed with a "fear of the unknown" and have more questions than answers. In time you will get answers and a course of action will develop. I pray for the best for your Dad.

[happy Halloween..4years survivorship]

Don - Congrats on the 4 years! I get a lot out of reading your posts. Thanks (and how's the harmonica playing coming along?).

[Introducing Myself]

Thank you, again, for your warm welcomes and support.

Ernie (ernrol) - we have both now done a half-marathon!! I'm thinking of doing another one. Let me know if you decide to do one.

Susan (fillise) - tell your niece that NC State is a great college to attend. I graduated from State in 1976. Go Wolfpack!!

Don (Don M) - I think playing the harmonica is a great idea! Let me know how it goes. I look forward to possibly hearing you play it one day.

I did run in the OBX Half-Marathon this past weekend and had said that I would post a race report here. However, during the race it occured to me that the true report I need to write deals not with the race itself but with the journey it took to reach this goal and the reasons I did it to begin with. I don't think I fully realized what the true reasons were until I actually ran the race. Therefore, my report will have to wait until I sort it all out myself. Look for it within the next week under the MY STORY thread. By the way, I really wanted to finish this race under 2 hours and 30 minutes. My time was 2 hours, 23 minutes and 24 seconds.

[Introducing Myself]

Thank you, all, for the warm welcome. It is nice to know that there are others who understand what I am going through. I speak freely to others about lung cancer and my experiences in hopes of educating them on the disease but I don't find many survivors who can relate to what I go through. It is nice that I have now found a group who can relate! I like to run and I think about how fortunate I am to be able to do so. I am running in a half marathon this weekend and, in addition to running for myself, I will be running for all survivors who can't. Report to follow the race....

[Introducing Myself]

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.