March 2021 will mark the seven year anniversary of my diagnosis date for stage 4 non small cell lung cancer. It started out as an unusual cough in December of 2013 and worsened for a month. After seeing my physician and getting various tests and referrals to specialists, I was diagnosed. In that time, I have received various treatments for what was discovered to be the T790m mutation. This included targeted medication, radiation, chemo and participation in a clinical trial (which was unsuccessful and resulted in various serious side effect).
But through this all, I continue to be living. Not just living, but engaging in a quality of life that I have expressed to my family, friends and oncologist that I want to live. I work full time as a supervising social worker (and never stopped working since diagnosed), I go on vacations, care for my family, and have taken the time to participate in events and fundraisers for LUNG FORCE since 2015. My condition has been stable for almost four years and I continue treatment with a daily targeted medication and “maintenance” chemo every three weeks to ensure my stability. My support system, which includes my husband and 9 year old son, is what keeps me positive and motivated to keep going.
