It started with a little cough after I would laugh. (Which was often!) my PCP put me through a lot of different tests. Everything came up negative. The last one was a chest x-ray that revealed a dark spot on my left lung. It was non-small cell carcinoma, lung cancer. 

Fast-forward through a myriad of hospital visits all over the country, including Memorial Sloan Kettering, where the oncologist and the surgeon were absolutely amazing, I finally decided that part of my healing needed for me to be close to my family in Chicago, especially my daughters and my grandchild. 

The chemo was brutal on my body. I woke up one morning, unable to get out of bed by myself. After almost a month, they figured out that my pelvis had hairline fractures and that was causing all the pain. Unable to walk alone, I was using a walker to try to get around and unable to take the last chemo. I had a lobectomy to remove the lower left portion of my lung. Somehow, after the surgery, I was able to hop out of bed and walk away with no pelvic pain and it never came back.

It’s been two years since the surgery and I’m feeling good, most of all grateful for this chance at being here to spend time with my family (two grandchildren now!) and enjoy life! We never know where the road will take us, it’s important to do the things that fill our souls and let us feel the love!