What happened, in summary

Ashley Vasallo was 36 when she shared her story, 2 years after being diagnosed with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Before diagnosis, she had trouble swallowing, shortness of breath, stabbing chest pain, fatigue, vomiting, full-body swelling, clubbed fingers, and low exercise tolerance. Because she was young, active, and otherwise healthy, her symptoms were repeatedly attributed to anxiety, reflux, asthma, long COVID, and pneumonia.

After more than 20 medical visits, Ashley went to the ER and refused to leave without answers. Doctors found blood clots and finally ordered a CT scan, which revealed lung cancer. She did not have an actionable driver biomarker, although she described having a rare fusion. Treatment started with 4 rounds of chemotherapy, immunotherapy every 3 weeks, and 5 rounds of radiation to her spine. About 6 months in, scans were unclear, and she sought surgery even though it was not usually offered for her stage. After a second opinion, she had her lung removed.

Later, a small hip/bone lesion was treated with 5 radiation sessions. Immunotherapy had to stop after it caused liver failure. When small lesions appeared in the chest cavity and hip, she had 3 weeks of radiation. As of October 2024, her labs and scans were clear, and she was being scanned every 3 months.