I was 33 years old with stage 4 lung cancer in both lungs. No targetable mutations.

Over six years I went through 5 different chemo regimens, about 2 years of immunotherapy, 3 clinical trials, and radiation. The fatigue and nausea never fully left, on and off for all of it. When I kept progressing and everything failed, my pulmonologist referred me to a lung transplant program. I relocated to Chicago. Two weeks in the hospital, months of physical therapy, and about 6–8 months before I actually felt like myself again.

Then the cancer came back in my spine. I went back on chemo and had radiation. Even so, I'd recommend a double lung transplant to anyone who qualifies. Treatments have come so far. Stay hopeful!

In November 2018, I was 46 years old and the healthiest I'd ever been. I was riding my bike 100 miles a week, going to exercise classes and eating keto. I had been at a new job for 5 months when a lymph node popped up on my neck in a weird spot - not the normal flu/infection lymph node spot. I waited about two weeks to see if it would go away - it did not, so I contacted my Primary Care Doctor.

She did blood work and ordered a CT scan on that lymph node. Blood work showed nothing amiss except slightly elevated calcium - nothing alarming. The CT however, caught a "spot" in my upper right lung. She then sent me for an Ultrasound guided core biopsy on the lymph node. I was told it was Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. I then had a PET scan that showed I had Stage 4.

I started on immunotherapy and in 3 months, I had broken bones, lumps everywhere, was in a wheelchair, wearing diapers, sleeping 23 hours a day. As I was getting ready to ask to be put on hospice, my oncologist said "it's rare for Squamous to have a targetable mutation, but you have one. We're going to start your on this targeted oral medication."

Within 1 week, most of the lumps were gone and I was awake 15 hours a day. By week 2, I was out of the wheelchair and acting like nothing happened.

I'm now 7-1/2 years thriving with Stage 4 Squamous NSCLC. I am still taking my targeted therapy.

If you have Non-small cell of any sub-type (adenocarcinoma/squamous), get Next Generation Sequencing (biomarker testing) - it may extend your life!