What happened, in summary

Roxanne was 43, a single mother, and a special needs teacher when lung cancer was found almost by accident. She had gone to her gynecologist for abdominal pain that felt like an ovarian cyst. A CT scan did show a cyst, but it also caught part of her right lower lung and showed something abnormal. She delayed follow-up because she had no lung symptoms and had never smoked. About 1.5 years later, another scan showed the lung finding again, and she was sent urgently to oncology. A biopsy confirmed cancer, and her lung collapsed during the procedure. Roxanne was first told it was Stage I lung cancer and had surgery within days. Surgeons removed her right lower lobe and mediastinal lymph nodes. A week later, she learned cancer was present in those lymph nodes, changing the diagnosis to Stage III. She then went through chemotherapy and radiation. One chemotherapy affected her hearing, so the later chemotherapy plan had to be reduced. Biomarker testing found an EGFR mutation, opening the door to an EGFR-targeted pill designed to help control the cancer. As of March 2026, Roxanne remained in care and was focused on healing, parenting, and building support for single parents facing cancer.