Mary W.

At the beginning of September 2015, my doctor sent me to the ER for a problem with my leg. While in the ER, I mentioned about a nagging cough that I was having that wasn't going away. They sent me for a chest X-ray and found masses in my lungs and liver. I ended up in ICU for 3 days because of the pulmonary embolisms in my lungs and leg. After a biopsy on the liver and many scans, they determined I had Stage IV NSCLC lung cancer.

We were devastated with the news but I am determined to fight this with everything I got. My oncologist in my area tested me for a gene mutation and I was a lucky one to have the ALK mutation. She referred me up to a hospital nearby and I am now in a phase I clinical trial where I am taking 2 new drugs. This has given us even more hope. After only taking the drug for 1 week and I had already noticed my cough had diminished considerably. I also receive an infusion every 21 days. There is so much new research in the works, I am so happy to be where I am if I am going to have this horrible disease. I hope these 2 drugs I am taking will be approved soon so more people can benefit from them like I am.

Update as of December, 2015: I have made such great progress in such a short amount of time. After only being in treatment since October 9, 2015 my tumors have shrunk almost 90%. We are so thrilled that this trial is giving me my life back.