This is a message for former smokers who think, like I did all these years, that you beat lung cancer by quitting their nicotine habit. I'm a lung cancer survivor urging you to get screened even if you don't meet the current screening guidelines. After 15 years of smoking and 30 years of not smoking, I was diagnosed with Stage IIIa non-small-cell lung cancer or NSCLC on May 10th in 2022. Stage IIIa in my case indicated a small tumor which spread to four local lymph nodes in and outside the lungs. I was otherwise healthy and active, no radon in my home, and no symptoms except my breathing changed at higher altitudes while hiking. A persistent neurologist prompted me to see a pulmonologist.
Because of my healthy lifestyle, I qualified for a lung dissection after chemo-immunotherapy infusions. On September 9th of 2022, following a VAT lobectomy and dissection of the thoracic lymph nodes, it was determined that I had no evidence of disease (NED). No further treatment was required.
I am currently taking all precautions to (remain healthy) by seeing the oncologist regularly, along with regular screening scans. If you ever smoked, take care of your lungs.
