** Originally posted by ddahn **
Hi,
I remember a year and a half ago frantically searching for a glimpse of hope when I found out my mom was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. It looked so grim and sounded like a death sentence. The statistics I read showed there was only about a 2 percent chance of someone living past 1 year and didn't even show the 5 year survival rate information. I searched website after website looking for survivors' personal experiences and hoping to find some miracles, but it looked grim. That is why I am writing this..... to give hope to those in search.
My mom was diagnosed in June 2004 with Stage IV lung cancer. She had never smoked a day in her life or worked around harsh chemicals that we're aware of. She was in shock that she had lung cancer, but surprisingly was taking it very well. The cancer had spread to her bones, her liver and eventually we would find out her brain. She started out on Chemo, with Taxol. Unfortunately it made her quite ill and she spent several trips to the doctors office every 5 days to get IV's full of fluid to hydrate her. She felt good for about a day or two and then was in bed most of the following days. In August, she saw a different doctor for another opinion. This doctor felt her treatment plan was on track, but suggested they check to see if the cancer had spread to her brain. Unfortunately it had, so they started radiation. She was on steroids for a few weeks that made her quite anxious and not her real self. The great news was that the radiation seemed to work on the brain and the taxol was helping to shrink the cancer throughout her body.
In September 2004, her cancer was stabilizing, but not shrinking. The doctor suggested she try Iressa as the new form of Chemo, it was suppose to work quite well for non-smoking women. He was right. She takes an Iressa pill everyday and for the past year and a half you wouldn't know anything was wrong with my mom....well except that she was on a diet and got a really short haircut. She feels great, and is as active as she has ever been. We actually just got back last week from a family cruise to the Caribbean.
I keep praying for my mom and ask my friends to do the same. My mom is an amazing women that never got down or sad because this was happening to her, but looked at how lucky she was to have so many wonderful friends and family members who cared about her. She has received hundreds of cards which have made all the difference in the world to her. Her motto in life has always been to stay positive and be a good person. I truly believe this is one of the main reasons she is still here with us today. Her cancer is still there but stabilized. She doesn't think about it to often and just tries to live her life to the fullest. Even though we're miles apart and I don't get to see her much these days, I feel truly blessed with each additional day she is here. There's hope out there - just stay positive and pray!!
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