Hi everybody,
My wife was diagnosed with lung cancer a year and a half ago. Out of respect for her privacy, I did not share this with the board. She had major surgery shortly after diagnosis. So far her subsequent CT scans have all been clean—no recurrence is evident. With lung cancer, oncologists like to see three years of clean scans, so we are half way there—with each scan, we feel more optimistic about the future.
Lung cancer is the number one killer of women—by far. The general 5 year survival rate post diagnosis is only 15%. The critical factor is early detection. My wife was very lucky—she will tell her story elsewhere (more about that later). The cancer showed up on an unrelated scan, and it was small. Regarding non-small cell lung cancer (typically non-smokers’ cancer--the kind that my wife had): if it is detected early enough—prior to symptoms appearing—the 5-year survival rate is as high as 75%.
Obviously, this has been a difficult time for my wife (and myself)—but she is an extraordinarily determined person who makes the best of everything that comes her way. She has started a foundation, Upstage Lung Cancer, that will combine her talents as a singer, writer, and director in order to raise funds for research in the area of women’s lung cancer—especially in the area of early detection. The web site is not yet up, but when it is, there will be section where she tells her story—and also, of course, a section on how to contribute. All contributions will, of course, be very much appreciated.
Best to all,
Richard
