Cindy was a healthy, 35-year-old woman with no symptoms of cancer when she joined the American Lung Association’s Lung Health Cohort Study, a research study with the goal of following 4,000 young, healthy adults for approximately five years, to start identifying risk factors for lung diseases.
As part of the study, Cindy provided her medical records and information about her health and life history—everything from schools, jobs and where she has lived throughout her life. She also received a low-dose CT scan of her lungs, and blood and other tests.
Surprisingly, the scan revealed a small spot, or nodule, on her right lung. Though the spot was very small, further tests, including a biopsy, identified stage 1 adenocarcinoma, a non-small cell lung cancer, and one of the most common primary lung cancers. “I lost it. I was screaming and crying,” said Cindy of her reaction to the diagnosis. She didn’t have any risk factors for lung cancer, and as someone living with asthma most of her life, had prioritized her lung and overall health.
She immediately called her husband to share the diagnosis. Just one day earlier, his father—Cindy’s father-in-law—had also received a stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis.
Cindy, a Lung Association staff member who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, had surgery—a lobectomy—within days to remove the upper right lobe of her lung and more than 20 regional lymph nodes. Because the cancer was detected early, and had not spread, she did not require chemotherapy or radiation.
“I had incredible people who jumped in so fast to help me,” she said. She also used Lung Association resources to help her and her family who were coping with two lung cancer diagnoses at the same time.
“The diagnosis has 100% changed me as a person,” she continued. “I am more grateful every day that I’m here. I could be sitting here, and lung cancer would just be growing in my body, and I likely wouldn’t know until it’s too late.”
The diagnosis also “reinvigorates my work,” she said, “because we need to change this,” especially as more young adults with no lung cancer risk factors are receiving a similar diagnosis. “What are we doing that this is showing up more and more in women just like me, and in men, too?” she said.
She’s also committed to helping others navigate the disease—from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. "If this is going to keep happening, I want to be a resource and a personal one,” she continued. “This is unchartered territory for someone my age. I only knew what my doctors told me. But every situation is so different.”
“I am more grateful every day that I’m here. I could be sitting here, and lung cancer would just be growing in my body, and I likely wouldn’t know until it’s too late.” - Cindy
When a family member of a close friend, also in her 30s, was diagnosed with lung cancer, Cindy told her, “‘You can ask me anything; I will be honest.’ There are all these weird things that can happen, and you’re not ready for it. It sucks. I hate that it happened me, and if I can help one person along the way, I will.”
Cindy urges everyone to stay vigilant about their health and symptoms. “If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. No one is immune to this. I have never smoked a cigarette. I grew up with asthma and I always prioritized my lung health. I tell people to listen to their own bodies—100%! If you have a nagging cough, go to the doctor. Hunt until you have an answer. Be persistent and find physicians you can trust.”
And while she is always grateful that her cancer was caught early, her feelings about her diagnosis, and what she’s been through ebb and flow, especially in the days and weeks before follow-up scans, every six months.
“Personally, there are days when I still feel like it’s not real, or sometimes when I’m talking about it, I feel like I’m telling somebody else’s story,” said Cindy. “At times, I feel unlucky to have received a lung cancer diagnosis at the age of 35.”
On the positive side, “I have been introduced to so many fantastic people through the Lung Association who have also been impacted by lung cancer,” she said.
The Lung Association is also “investing in incredible research and I’m hopeful that we’re heading in the direction where more and more people can be like me; where they catch the cancer early and its more treatable, and people have a better chance,” she said. “The passion is there.”
The Lung Health Cohort Research Study is conducted through the Lung Association’s Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network, which is largest national non-profit clinical network dedicated to asthma and COPD research. The multi-site study is administered through the ACRC under the American Lung Association Research Institute. The Lung Health Cohort Research Study longitudinal study is funded by a $24.8 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The Lung Association also offers information, resources, including mentors and support groups, and many ways to get involved and help others. “Heck, just call the Lung Helpline if you have any lung health related questions or concerns, no matter how small.”
“It’s been a wild ride,” Cindy said, “but it could have been a much worse one, for sure. I’m hopeful for the future of lung cancer for us all.”
Learn more about the Lung Health Cohort Research Study at Lung.org/lung-study and learn more about how you can help stand against cancer at LUNGFORCE.org.
Blog last updated: April 25, 2025
