What happened, in summary

Sydney Barned was 33 and completing her internal medicine residency when she was diagnosed with Stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer in 2017. She had always been active, including ballet, track, swimming, and 5K runs, so the first sign was subtle but frightening: her breathing no longer matched her fitness. While working in Jamaica, she was treated for presumed pneumonia after a chest X-ray. After antibiotics, she began coughing and coughed up blood. A pulmonologist suggested hyperactive airway disease, but after moving for residency, persistent wheezing led to more testing.

Asthma testing was negative. A repeat chest X-ray showed a persistent abnormality on the left side, and a CT scan found a mass compressing her airway. Bronchoscopy and biopsy confirmed Stage IV lung cancer, and biomarker testing showed ALK-positive disease. That result changed the treatment plan: instead of surgery or chemotherapy, she started targeted therapy.

Her first targeted therapy controlled the cancer for about 5.5 years. In September 2022, a routine MRI found 3 brain metastases, and her team switched her to another targeted therapy. As of February 2025, Sydney was still working full-time as a hospitalist and using her experience to advocate for lung cancer awareness and less stigma.