What happened, in summary

Jill Feldman was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 at age 39 after years of watching the disease affect her family. She lost 2 grandparents to lung cancer within weeks of each other, then her father died 3 months after his diagnosis at age 41. In her 20s, both her mother and aunt also died of lung cancer. That history made Jill push for earlier attention even before she had cancer symptoms.

A baseline scan in her early 30s was clear, but later follow-up imaging found ground-glass nodules. Doctors monitored them over time, first every 6 months and then yearly. Eventually, one nodule changed enough to trigger further workup and a biopsy. Biomarker testing later showed EGFR-positive lung cancer, which helped guide treatment. Jill described surgery followed by targeted therapy in the adjuvant setting, although the specific targeted drug name was not stated for her part of the story.

As of November 2024, Jill was 15 years out from diagnosis. Her story centers on early detection, family history, biomarker testing, and the importance of removing stigma from lung cancer. She also framed research as a source of hope, because newer testing and treatment options gave her milestones that earlier generations in her family did not have. She emphasized that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer, regardless of smoking history.