->Survivor stories

I used to think support groups were for weak people. Then, I found LUNGevity and Lung Cancer Support Community – boy, did that change my mind.

I discovered LUNGevity’s message board, Lung Cancer Support Community (LCSC), right after they found a rapidly growing nodule in my right lung. At the time, I had just retired early to be a full-time caregiver for my wife, who was in advanced stages of dementia, and I already felt mentally strained.

I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in August 2013. Many people don’t understand that if you are diagnosed with advanced stage lung cancer like me, there is currently no cure. There are drugs that help treat the cancer and give you more time on this planet, but you have to deal with long-term effects for the rest of your life.

The night before I was diagnosed with lung cancer, my doctor called me at 7pm, asking me to come in the next day; it was an emergency. I wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to tell me, but I had had my lungs scanned earlier that day to check on a small spot, so I assumed the worst.

The day before my lung biopsy, May 18, 2020, I ran 7 miles. As I was running, I couldn’t help but think there is no way I have lung cancer. Yet, when the results of my biopsy came back, that’s exactly what I was diagnosed with: stage I adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung cancer. 

It’s rare to be diagnosed as stage I; in fact, only about 18% of people are. That’s why I call it my “incidentally-noma,” a little joke as a retired nurse about my lung cancer being found completely by accident. 

53 days after Julie Jones had video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, Julie ran a half marathon. Even more impressive, she finished only about 10 minutes slower than her previous half marathon, about three weeks before her lung surgery.

It started as a tickle in my throat. I noticed that every time I spoke, I had to keep clearing my throat. At first, it was okay because it was just happening every now and then. As time went on, however, it became more pronounced; I would have to clear my throat every few words or sentences.

I was diagnosed with stage IV adenocarcinoma at the end of July 2019. As a female non-smoker, I was shocked. But I shouldn't have been. Unlike many people diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer who did not experience symptoms, I had respiratory issues for several years prior to my diagnosis, and chest pain led me to the ER in 2017 and 2018. The chest x-rays showed nothing unusual according to the reports, and in 2018 I was told it was probably a pulled muscle.

When I was first diagnosed with lung cancer, I wasn’t given a stage. It made me feel hopeful, like I had a mild form of cancer and I could take some medication and be okay. Someone even asked me what stage my cancer was, and I told them I didn’t have a stage. I look back at the time and wonder how I thought it was even possible.

May is Lung Cancer Hope Month, a celebration of the progress for people living with lung cancer—new treatment options, more clinical trials, and people living longer and better with their disease.