Historias compartidas

My life has been upended by cancer three times. The first for breast cancer and the 2nd and 3rd for lung cancer.

A random flyer in the mail, in 2016, advertising “Body Scans” for a reasonable price started my cancer journey. 

My lung cancer journey began when my mom, Sheila Mays, contracted COVID shortly after a family vacation in September of 2022.

I started receiving low-dose CT scans in 2015 because my insurance began covering them, and my primary care physician strongly recommended I get them.

When you are a couple, you work as a team to get through your busy lives. My wife, Emeli Bowers, and I were no different.

I was diagnosed with lung cancer almost 10 years ago.

At the time, we did not know it, but our journey began with my wife Alesha’s persistent cough in 2017.

I took an early retirement from my job at 59 years old. Being empty nesters, our plan was to travel.

Most people would describe my mother, Denise, as a force to be reckoned with and someone with an appetite for life and an endless amount of energy. She was kind and had a truly generous soul.

I first got involved with the American Lung Association when my father, Ed Gonzalez, was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer.

My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020. Since 80-90% of lung cancers are believed to be associated with tobacco, and my dad was a lifelong smoker, I wasn’t surprised, but I was angry.

My name is Mayra, and I am a Stage 4 lung cancer warrior. I live in Rockland County, New York, and receive care in New York City and Boston.

Imagine being surrounded by cancer every day. For the past 25 years, I’ve cared for patients and families with cancer diagnoses and cancer-related complications.

Last spring, I started coughing, had a low-grade fever, and just didn’t feel well.

It all started with a cough in 2014. I was 34 years old, and it was cough and cold season, so I thought nothing of it. But it kept getting worse.