Lung Cancer Screening Stories | Saved By The Scan | American Lung Association

Mary T. My doctor had been urging me to get a CT scan. After months, I decided to go, and lo and behold, there was a spot on my right lung.
Jessamy S. I have high cholesterol and always have. It must be genetic, because I am not overweight. Heart disease runs in my dad’s family, so I wanted to check my arteries.
Patty S. I smoked for many years, stopping in 2007.
Maureen M. I saw an ad on television about the Smart Lung Scan. I had quit smoking more than 17 years ago and wondered whether I qualified. At my annual wellness checkup, I asked my doctor if it would be a good idea to get one.
Dawn D. In the spring of 2024, I had an injured shoulder. While getting an MRI, a mass was seen in my right lung.
Krista M. I’m 63 years old and a former smoker—I smoked for 20 years but quit over 30 years ago.
Lynda V. My brother died at the age of 70 of lung cancer, and my mother at age 92.
Diane S. I quit smoking in 2011. I started CT scans in 2020 once a year. Last May 2025, a scan showed a new nodule, so my doctor had me redo the scan in August.
Steve A. I was a smoker for about 55 years. I get an annual physical every year. My doctor is very thorough, and he sent me for a CT scan since I had smoked for so long. It came back negative, which was great.
Cheryl W. At my annual checkup in 2024, my primary care physician recommended and ordered a low-dose CT scan. I was afraid of what the test might find, since I started smoking as a teenager.
Linda T. My name is Linda and I am a 60-year-old wife, mother and grandmother. I want to shout from the rooftops how low-dose lung screening saved my life.
Janna D. My primary care doctor ordered a scan for me many years ago, after I had been smoking for about 40 years.
Donna F. My husband, Mo, was very fortunate that seven years ago his primary care doctor was aware of the screening for lung cancer for high-risk individuals.
Mary Beth T. 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.
William S. I quit smoking in May 2018 and started getting yearly lung cancer screening scans in November 2018; they never showed any problems with my lungs.

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