Imagine preparing for one of the happiest moments in life, the birth of a second child, only to be told you have stage IV non-small cell lung cancer.

Unbelievable as it seems, living a healthy, active life did not protect me from this deadly disease, nor the many others I have met since diagnosis. Lung cancer does not discriminate, attacking young and old, women and men, nonsmokers and smokers alike.

Fortunately, tremendous strides have been made in diagnosing and treating advanced lung cancer in the past several years. Leading the charge is Dr. Ross Camidge, a world-renowned lung cancer oncologist, and his team at the University of Colorado Hospital. Dr. Camidge and his staff combine expert treatment, individually tailored to the patient, with cutting-edge research, resulting in a five-year lung cancer survival rate at UC Health which is four times the national average. 

My family and I have hope that continued advancements in therapies will transform lung cancer from a death sentence to a chronic disease, allowing people like me to live longer, more productive, and more satisfying lives. I may never be “cured” of lung cancer, but with daily targeted drugs, radiation when resistant spots occur, and treatments not yet developed that will allow my immune system to fight the cancer cells or stop their mutation, I hope to manage my lung cancer for many years to come. Seeing our children reach double digits, graduate from high school and college, and reach adulthood are dreams that I and so many others like me can only realize with new innovations, supported by research at institutions like UC Health and patient-driven organizations like ALK-Positive.org.

My resolve to fight lung cancer, increase awareness of the magnitude of the disease, and raise funds for research extends far beyond my own life and family. I am motivated by many others I have met in person and through social media nationally and internationally, whose stories mirror my own. I sincerely hope that in the future, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters will be spared the heartache, pain, and uncertainty those of us living with lung cancer experience.