Photo courtesy of Peg’s Foundation, from The Morgan Impact Awards, Pete and Patti, 2021
(4-3-24) Since learning in February that I have Stage 4 lung cancer, I have undergone a series of scans and tests. I can now share some hopeful news.
My cancer is being treated with targeted therapy, which only can be done in a small percentage of cases. I am taking a medication (8 pills per day) specifically designed to target molecules that the cancer needs to spread and survive. While my cancer can’t be cured, it can be treated and targeted therapy is much less caustic on my body than chemotherapy.
Individuals with my cancer diagnosis who receive targeted therapy routinely survive three to four years, with some surviving substantially longer. Clearly, this is much better than the six months sentence that was suggested in the ER.
I am 72 years old and hope to be among those who survive “substantially longer,” but this time line has certainly changed how I now look at my life.