Maria L.

I am a 49 years old and a two time breast cancer survivor. In April 2017 my pet scan revealed a nodule in my left upper lobe. I had a VATS left upper lobe lobectomy on May 3, which was positive for lung cancer. I was fortunate to have found it at stage 1 since it was only 4 mm in size.

My avid love for fitness and listening to my gut feeling that something was wrong made all the difference. I had been experiencing slights shortness of breath when I worked out doing heavy plyos and was slightly more fatigued. That was it! I told my oncologist and demanded a pet scan, which revealed everything. I know there is plenty being done for breast cancer awareness and fundraising but it seems little is being done for lung cancer.

I hope this changes since lung cancer is the number 1 killer of women. I'm a physical therapist and specialize in cancer rehab. I've done a lot of presentations on breast cancer, now I will raise the platform for lung cancer awareness.