My hero has always been my dad. From an early age my dad gently pushed me to be confident, to try new things and finally to always persevere when things get tough. One day in 2017 I received a call that will haunt me forever… My dad told me that he had stage three lung cancer. My dad had never smoked, led a healthy lifestyle and was always active with golfing and walking on the beach.
Lung cancer does not know a healthy lifestyle, that you are about to retire and that you love your family. Lung cancer is many times silent and does not show signs or symptoms until it is too late for a full recovery.
My dad was told with chemo and radiation his cancer may shrink enough for surgery. He had adenocarcinoma and it was located near the mediastinum. Pathologically this location hosts many vascular blood vessels, and it became inoperable.
My story is the same as many Americans’ story they feel shame if they do smoke and those like my father that never smoked are always asked if they smoked. Research is well proposed on breast cancer, however lacking in lung cancer. The NIH and CDC need more funding, so that people like my father have hope for a cure and a longer life to spend with family and loved ones.
