What happened, in summary

Taylor was 21 and a former Division I college soccer player when persistent symptoms kept being dismissed. She first struggled with numbness and tingling in her toes and could not pass a required fitness test, but testing did not explain it. About a year later, she developed recurrent pneumonia. Her mother pushed for a CT scan because of a family history of lung cancer, but Taylor was told young athletes did not get lung cancer. A chest X-ray was read as fine, though later review showed follow-up had been recommended. The answer came by chance during an ER visit for severe abdominal pain. A CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis showed her abdomen was okay, but part of her lung was not: she had a 4 cm mass in the left lung that had nearly collapsed it. Taylor was diagnosed with a Stage IB carcinoid tumor in the left upper lobe. Her parents pushed for a second opinion, and she went to Duke for thoracic surgery. In 2007, surgery was the main treatment option for this type of carcinoid tumor. She had a minimally invasive left upper lobectomy with the lingula removed. Recovery was painful, but margins were clean, so she did not need chemotherapy or radiation. As of February 2026, Taylor was 18 years post-diagnosis, a mother, and an advocate against lung cancer stigma.