Ann’s Story
My name is Ann. I am a very proud mother and grandmother. My daughter and her daughter are the light of my life. I am currently NED and navigating life after treatment, as I am still on the three-month scan plan while we keep an eye on several nodules in my upper left lung.
I had been experiencing a persistent, mildly irritating cough—“to clear my throat”—for several months. My physician assistant and I chalked it up to allergies. I also had some dull pain in my back, which I figured was just part of aging or the result of moving the wrong way. Then, in February 2023, I got COVID-19. I couldn’t shake the COVID cough and went through several rounds of antibiotics, thinking it might be bacterial.
On April 5, my primary care doctor ordered an X-ray of my lungs to rule out pneumonia. Instead, it revealed a mass in my lower right lung.
I was scheduled to leave for Costa Rica at the end of April for a trip of a lifetime with my sister. My doctor told me to go ahead and enjoy my trip, and we would do a CT scan when I returned. A couple more scans and tests later, I received the diagnosis: stage 3B adenocarcinoma lung cancer.
My first thought was that I didn’t want my then-18-month-old granddaughter to grow up without me—I was determined to win this battle. My second thought: How the heck am I going to pay for this?
On June 5, I met my oncologist, and over the next 20 days, we aggressively planned our attack on the tumor, which I nicknamed Edith. I had a PET scan, a brain MRI, met with a cardiothoracic surgeon, had my port placed, and started the first of four rounds of chemotherapy. It worked—Edith was operable!
Chemo was tough. I fought with nausea, had no energy or strength, and was anxious and depressed at times. I worked 40 hours a week during treatment. My amazing family and friends really helped to keep me going.
Surgery was scheduled to remove Edith on Oct. 23, 2024. The lower right lobe of my right lung was removed, along with two lymph nodes, and Edith was finally gone. Edith had clear margins and no lymph node involvement. Following surgery, I had two more rounds of chemotherapy and then 10 rounds of immunotherapy from December 2023 through October 2024.
It was all such a whirlwind of activity that the past two and a half years seem to have vanished in a flash, even though, while going through it, I thought it would never end. I personally did not have trouble accessing the care I needed, but I know that others are not as fortunate.
I was also lucky to have health insurance and the ability to work full time while undergoing treatment. However, even with insurance, I will probably never be out of debt, having accrued tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
I believe it is important to raise awareness and promote the importance of early lung scans to aid in early detection and prevention. I highly recommend early lung scans to aid in early detection. The need for proactive health screenings is more important now than ever.
I was honored to be the Kansas Lung Force Hero for 2025 with the American Lung Association. I did this work in honor of my father, who passed from COPD in February of this year. I believe the work we did on Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., was critical to ensuring the CDC and NIH can continue promoting and protecting the health of everyone.
-Ann
