Stage IV EGFR Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Jennifer's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Jennifer’s Stage IV lung cancer was found almost by accident. She had been in a car accident that revealed a lung spot, but she did not learn about it until 10 months later. When she later saw her primary care doctor for what she thought was a sinus infection, additional scans showed a large lung mass. The diagnosis was Stage IV adenocarcinoma, a form of non-small cell lung cancer. Jennifer had been active, healthy, running 5Ks, and working as an ophthalmic photographer while raising 2 teenagers, so lung cancer had not been on her radar. Biomarker testing found an EGFR genomic mutation. That result allowed her to take a targeted medication every day instead of starting with a more traditional chemotherapy path. The medicine came with ongoing side effects, even when she did not look sick. After 6 months on the targeted medication, Jennifer entered a local in-house clinical trial and received SBRT radiation to the main lung tumor. The lung cancer community became a major part of her coping and advocacy. She connected with support organizations, became a phone buddy, participated in research questionnaires and blood sampling, and spoke about funding and screening. As of December 2025, Jennifer had lived more than 5.5 years after being given a terminal diagnosis and continued to focus on advocacy, family, and hope.