A person who is a non-smoker but whose lung cancer is detected at an early stage

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As reported in Erica Limlinger

When I was 43 years old; I had very few risk factors for lung cancer, and probably none. I ran regularly, ate well, and had never smoked a pack of cigarettes in my life. I have never been exposed to secondhand smoke or dangerous levels of air pollution. In fact, my father was a pulmonologist, and he warned me from a very young age about the dangers of smoking and all the threats it could pose to my lung health.

So, I was so shocked when I was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer. Just an hour ago I was running my usual route with no problems with my airway. He had no difficulty breathing. It felt good. I had no symptoms.

I was diagnosed because my husband recommended I get an MRI to check my overall health during a family and business trip to New York. He had an MRI a few months ago and was diagnosed with a minor medical problem that would have gotten worse if he hadn’t realized it was wrong and fixed it. Although I wanted to spend the afternoon downtown with the kids, I eventually agreed and scheduled a consultation. Since it wasn’t covered by insurance, I had to pay the cost.

The radiologist confirmed I had a small mass in my right lung but recommended no follow-up. The radiologist said this was a “minor finding.” It was like looking for freckles when examining your skin. It’s nice to look for freckles and know they’re there, but there’s no need to be alarmed. When I returned from my appointment, I said to my husband, “See? I’m as beautiful on the inside as I am on the outside.”

I almost forgot I discovered the MRI, but my family and friends did not. My family and friends’ doctors told me that MRIs are good for diagnosing dense organs and tissues, but not so good for examining the lungs. They recommended follow-up with a CT scan. I didn’t think it was necessary, but I did it anyway.

So I ended up in the radiologist’s office, where I learned that the lump in my lung, or freckle, had grown 4.1 cm in a few months since I had the MRI, and that it may be stage 1 lung cancer.

I didn’t trust that diagnosis. I just ran and had no problems with my breathing. Since he did not cough, it was believed that he could not possibly have cancer. I felt good, so I guess I’ll be okay. I sent the CT images to my father, the family pulmonologist. I also sent a copy to the husband of a radiologist friend of mine who I ran into while picking up my kids from school. I knew they would read the scan and get a better answer than cancer. That’s what happened on Friday. I got a phone call on Saturday and was surprised to see my friend’s name on the caller ID. Why did you call me instead of texting me? He said I should consult an oncologist immediately.

My husband was serving in the military, and luckily he returned just in time for my oncologist appointment and learned the diagnosis by my side. He had fast-growing adenocarcinoma that required surgery. When we returned home, we gathered our four children, ages 8 to 14. One of the two, quickly sensing the mood, asked, “Are you getting divorced, or is my mom sick with cancer?” I told them I had cancer. The children thought it was a joke and laughed. And we all cried.

The next day I had a bronchoscopy that required me to be placed on a mechanical ventilator. A few days later, I hosted a dinner to break my Yom Kippur fast, where I shared the news with my loved ones. My husband called numerous times that week to schedule surgery. I had surgery a week after being diagnosed.

The surgery removed half of his lung and confirmed the cancer had not spread to his lymph nodes. Although I was heartbroken after the surgery, I felt lucky that the cancer was caught early.

During my recovery, I learned that lung cancer causes more deaths in women than breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer combined. It is very fatal because it is rarely detected in the early stages when survival rates are high. Lung cancer is most often discovered when the cancer has spread throughout the body, meaning the chances of survival are much lower. However, we do not screen for lung cancer as regularly as we regularly screen for other cancers.

Five weeks after surgery, I started running again. Six months after surgery, tests and scans confirmed that I was cancer-free. I was glad that my cancer was a thing of the past, but I realized that I had been saved by a miracle and that miracle could save others as well.

We will not stop raising awareness to encourage early screening until we can all detect cancer in its earliest stages. Currently, to be screened for lung cancer you must meet certain guidelines based on outdated ideas. This includes the belief that lung cancer only occurs in smokers after age 50. In fact, women who have never smoked are now more likely to develop lung cancer than men who smoke, and the average age at which lung cancer is diagnosed is decreasing. The current guidelines are so outdated that e-cigarettes are not even considered.

I know this saved my life and has raised awareness among people to encourage early screening. I founded the Cancer Does Not Care Foundation, which helps pay for low-dose chest CTs. I wrote a book called “One Scan Saved My Life” about my experiences to raise awareness and motivate all profits to be donated to Cancer Doesn’t Care.

Lung cancer is often viewed as a result of lifestyle decisions. But lung cancer is not something one chooses, and no one deserves to get it. Today I feel lucky because I am an exception when it comes to lung cancer, and I wish we all were that lucky. I will continue to push for early screening until my story becomes a common occurrence rather than a random one.

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American Cancer Society

American Lung Association

Cancer doesn’t care.

This educational material was produced with the support of . Daiichi.

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