What happened, in summary

Jeff had already survived an unusual cancer experience before his lung cancer diagnosis. In 2017, a painful cervical spine mass was first treated as a likely non-cancerous schwannoma, but surgery showed cancer and could not remove everything safely because of risk near blood flow to the brain. Years later, during the COVID period, Jeff went for a routine checkup and mentioned a mild cough that appeared when he lay on his right side. His doctor ordered a chest X-ray, which showed a large mass in the lower right lung. Follow-up scans confirmed cancer, and a later review suggested the mass had been visible on older 2017/2018 scans, when it might have been earlier stage and operable. Jeff was diagnosed in 2021 at age 64 with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. The disease involved 5 spots in the brain and about 7 or 8 bone spots, including ribs, femur/hip, and clavicle. Radiation and chemotherapy were being considered until biomarker testing showed EGFR-positive disease, with exon 19 mentioned. That result changed the plan to oral targeted therapy with Tagrisso. As of March 2025, Jeff was living with metastatic EGFR-positive lung cancer, using his experience to stress biomarker testing, second opinions, and taking the diagnosis one step at a time.