I had just graduated college in 2013 when my dad was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Like most people diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, the discovery of his disease was a fluke. His car was rear-ended, which led to an x-ray, which showed a mass in his lung. He was given a 50% chance of living six months.
There are two mantras I repeat to myself and others: “Don’t count the days, make the days count,” coined by Mohammad Ali, and “Cancer didn’t bring me to my knees; it brought me to my feet,” said by Michael Douglas. Another mantra I like is one of my own creation: “My mind and soul can heal my body.”
What I like about these quotes is their positivity. I’ve always believed a positive attitude could help fight my lung cancer.
I was diagnosed with lung cancer in July 2020. I was stage IV non-small cell adenocarcinoma with metastases in my lymph nodes.
Caregiver is a funny term to me. There have been times in this process I’ve felt like one, but most of the time, I haven’t needed to take that role. My husband, who is an advanced stage lung cancer survivor, doesn’t need care. He isn’t bedbound or sickly; he’s out biking and golfing on the weekends.
It all started innocently enough with a swollen lymph node above my collar bone. As a family nurse practitioner, I knew this was a bit unusual. When it persisted for a week or so, I thought it time to have it checked out.
AJ Patel is an eight year stage IV lung cancer survivor. Back in 2013, he was told he may not survive six months. After battling a complex craniotomy, several rounds of chemo and radiation, AJ was losing hope. Biomarker testing was not well known then, but the doctor ordered the test and it literally saved his life.
