Karen U., MI

At the age of 60, while out of town in June 2021, I woke up one morning with pain in my upper back which I attributed to sleeping poorly on a pull-out couch. One evening a week later, while drinking water, I swallowed wrong, which made me cough and I coughed up blood. My doctor ordered a chest X-ray right away and when the results came back, in minutes, my world came crashing down around me. There was a large tumor in my upper right lung and that’s when I started my cancer journey.

Within weeks, I went from zero symptoms to sitting with an ocologist to discuss treatment of Stage 3 Lung Cancer.  When I first met with the Doctors, they didn’t think they were going to be able to remove the tumor and talked to me about managing my cancer. I was devastated. After weeks of tests and biopsies, a course of treatment was determined.

I went through months of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments which took a terrible toll on my body. I was so fortunate, I responded very well to the chemotherapy and radiation and the tumor shrunk dramatically. I was then able to have the extensive surgery to remove the tumor along with the top lobe of my right lung. Eight weeks after surgery, I started nine months of immunotherapy treatment to continue battling this aggressive cancer from returning. Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses the power of the body’s own immune system to prevent, control, and eliminate cancer. I am very pleased to share that 3 years after my diagnosis, there is no sign of the cancer at all.

The extensive treatments and the removal of a lobe in my right lung, has led me to now having COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). There is no cure and managing my breathing through medication and exercise every day is my new normal. If you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.

Listening to my body and getting checked out at the first obvious sign something was not right along with a fantastic team of doctors and their quick treatment plan, saved my life.  Advancements in the treatment of lung cancer have come a long way; just five years ago, my chance of survival would have been much lower. 

I am so grateful to the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society, their research along with my amazing team of doctors saved my life. I am a survivor!