Lung Cancer: 296 Real Stories
296 stories match lung cancer. 140 of them mention targeted therapy.
Lung Cancer: Fanny’s Patient Story
Fanny was newly trained as a nurse when lung cancer unexpectedly changed her plans. In May 2016, she had a small cough, then finished her diploma and went on vacation. Before starting a hospital nursing job in December, she needed a routine chest X-ray for…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Julie’s Survivor Story
Julie was 73 and already knew what cancer treatment could mean, having survived lymphoma in 2004. In February 2015, she developed what seemed like the flu, but her fever stayed high. Her general practitioner ordered a chest X-ray, then quickly connected her…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Carole’s Survivor Story
Carole shares the lung cancer experience of her mother, who was 83 when the illness was discovered. During the winter of 2015, her mother had a long-lasting cold or flu-like illness and did not feel well. Because she had previously had lymphoma in 2004, the…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Fanny’s Patient Story
This story is told by Céline, a close friend of Fanny, a young woman living with lung cancer. When Céline learned about Fanny’s diagnosis, her first reaction was denial. Fanny was more realistic about the seriousness of the illness, while Céline needed time…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Sandra’s Patient Story
Sandra was 42 and living in Colombes when lung cancer entered her life shortly after a stroke. She had the stroke at the beginning of 2018 and was officially diagnosed with lung cancer on April 16, 2018. She nicknamed the cancer “baby dragon,” choosing a name…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Thierry’s Survivor Story
Thierry was 55 when unusual neurologic symptoms led to his lung cancer diagnosis in May 2014. He had headaches for a week, seemed “strange” to people around him, struggled to handle objects, felt numbness around his mouth, and behaved unusually while driving…
Read this storyLung Cancer: Liz’s Survivor Story
Liz was 43 when symptoms that seemed unrelated to her lungs led to a cancer diagnosis. In late 2014 and January 2015, she had heavy, painful legs and swollen ankles. Blood tests showed a clear drop in red blood cells. Because her doctor was worried about a…
Read this storyInoperable small cell lung cancer with brain metastases and treatment response
This story was shared by a pharmacist caring for her uncle after he was diagnosed in July 2020 with inoperable small cell lung cancer. Doctors estimated a life expectancy of 7 months with chemotherapy. Alongside chemotherapy, his caregiver introduced…
Read this storyStage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer: Sylvane’s Patient Story
Sylvane was 71 when a persistent dry cough in May 2020 led to a new cancer diagnosis. She had survived breast cancer 27 years earlier, in 1993, after chemotherapy, radiation, removal of the left breast, and removal of the lymph-node chain. This time, COVID…
Read this storyAggressive lung cancer with bone metastases and concurrent localized breast cancer
This story was shared by the sister of a woman with aggressive lung cancer and bone metastases. The cancer involved the skull and spine and had caused a clavicle fracture. Around the same time, doctors also found a localized 4 cm breast cancer. She received…
Read this storyLung Adenocarcinoma: Emmanuel’s Survivor Story
Emmanuel was 47 when he was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma in January 2019. He had not noticed major warning signs, only some breathlessness that he connected with smoking. A biopsy confirmed lung cancer, but at first the diagnosis did not feel fully real…
Read this storySmall Cell Lung Cancer: Jean-Marc’s Patient Story
Jean-Marc was 54 when he was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. He describes the diagnosis as emotionally violent, especially because he was alone when he heard the news and felt lost. His immediate fear centered on time: whether he would see his children…
Read this storyLung Cancer: François’s Survivor Story
François was 62 when he shared his experience of lung cancer. The first clear warning sign came at work, when he coughed blood into a white tissue. He waited 4 days before telling his wife, Françoise, because he did not want to frighten her. His doctor…
Read this storyStage IB lung cancer treated with left upper lobe resection and postoperative recovery story
In January 2007, this woman received a notice after a health screening that she needed more detailed testing. The first hospital raised concern for lung cancer and recommended removal of the left upper lobe. She felt stunned and sought a second opinion…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Gerri’s Patient Story
Gerri first noticed a slight cough that would not go away and a drop in stamina on the StairMaster. Before a planned hiking trip to Patagonia, she saw her doctor to check whether she was well enough for travel vaccinations. Her lungs sounded clear, but the…
Read this storyStage IV KRAS Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Maureen’s Patient Story
Maureen’s lung cancer was found by accident. After an infection, she had a CT scan that showed a spot on her lung. She was told to follow up in 6 months, and in May 2015 she was diagnosed with Stage I non-small cell lung cancer. For several years, the cancer…
Read this storyStage I Lung Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story
Jennifer Rosato Perea learned she had lung cancer only because imaging was ordered before a hysterectomy in late 2020. She had no symptoms and did not think lung cancer could apply to her because she was not a smoker and had no family history. After the MRI…
Read this storyStage IV Lung Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story
Karen was 47 when sharp back and shoulder pain sent her to the emergency room during a blizzard. She had never smoked, had no family history, and considered herself healthy, so the discovery of a large lung tumor was a shock. Karen was initially diagnosed…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Laura’s Patient Story
Laura Greco’s lung cancer record needs a major subtype correction: this was lung cancer, not colon cancer. Her initial diagnosis in 2015 was Stage IIIA non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer driven by an ALK translocation. Initial treatment included 2…
Read this storyEGFR Lung Cancer: Ivy’s Patient Story
Ivy Elkins was remembered by the lung cancer community as an influential patient advocate whose work reached far beyond her own diagnosis. She became a major voice for people affected by EGFR-mutated lung cancer and helped co-found EGFR Resisters, a patient…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Lung Cancer: Dann’s Patient Story
Dann Wonser was 49 in 2006 when an X-ray for possible broken ribs unexpectedly revealed Stage IV lung cancer. Biomarker testing showed EGFR and T790M mutations. He lived with lung cancer for 18 years before passing away on June 30, 2024. Across those years…
Read this storyStage IV ALK Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Donna’s Patient Story
Donna Preston was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in January 2015. Her only symptom had been a cough that would not go away. At diagnosis, her 5 children were between 9 and 18 years old, and she wanted to keep family life as normal as possible while still…
Read this storyStage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Rhonda’s Patient Story
Rhonda Martin was diagnosed in March 2018 with Stage IV non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer. At diagnosis, the cancer had already spread to her brain, spine, hip bone, and lymph nodes. Her first treatment was whole brain radiation. While biopsy results…
Read this storyEGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Joanne’s Patient Story
Joanne’s lung cancer was found by chance in February 2021. She had gone to the emergency room because of what seemed like an abdominal hernia or aneurysm, and an angio CT scan instead showed a mass in the upper lobe of her right lung. She had not had classic…
Read this story