Yes, both Leah and Teri are valuable advocates in the young lung cancer community and we are so appreciative of how the help to educate others through their own personal experiences with the disease.
These two women are amazing. ❤ … I get comfort from their expressions of loss - not that I’m on the same page with cancer but I am on a comparable page when it comes to the grief associated with a traumatic level of loss. We lost our son 5-months ago. He was 27. And Karsten struggled with addiction to prescribed pharmaceuticals until they took his life in a mistaken overdose. It was and is horrendous. We as parents are dealing with his loss as is his twin brother who doesn’t discuss it at all. But I just want to say thank-you for making this. It really helps me to feel less alone. ❤
so deeply sorry for the loss of your son...Losing a child is an unimaginable heartbreak, and I can only begin to understand the depth of your grief. Thank you for sharing your story and for your courage in expressing something so personal and painful. It means a lot to know that this video resonated with you and provided some sense of connection in such a difficult time. Please know you are not alone, and there is strength in your vulnerability. Sending you and your family love and support as you navigate this journey
I got Covid on July 1st, 2023. I got a terrible cough that would not go away, so I went to my primary doctor and told her I had a terrible non-stop cough. She gave me an inhaler, which never worked. I went back around a month or two later and told her I still had a terrible cough. She said she could give me another inhaler and I told her I did not want one because it did not work the first time. She said I most probably had long Covid and I would just have to put up with it. I left the office extremely depressed because by this time I have been coughing for many months all day and all night long. But I trusted my doctor and assumed I just had long Covid and I just had to be patient and one day I would get over it. But in January 2024, when I was playing pickle ball, I was completely running out of breath which was shocking because I had always been extremely healthy and I could play pickle ball for six hours straight without sitting down. So when I started running out of breath, that's when I realized there must be something wrong other than long Covid. So I went to emergency care and they gave me an x-ray and they told me that I had walking pneumonia and it was nothing to be concerned about. They gave me three different very potent drugs and told me that would take care of my cough. After I finished the drugs, my cough was just as bad, so I went back to them and they gave me the strongest antibiotic they had and said that would definitely work. After I finish that drug I was still coughing all day long and went back to them and demanded another x-ray. When they looked at the 2nd x-ray, they came in and said to me that I needed to go to emergency immediately because they didn't like the looks of my x-ray. So I went to emergency where they did a CAT scan and the doctor comes in and says ma'am, you do not have long Covid, you have stage four metastatic lung cancer. I was an absolute total shock. If only my doctor had recommended getting an x-ray when I went to see her the second time, we most probably would've caught my cancer before it became stage four. I then went on (Tagrisso) and within a couple of months my cough finally stopped. So all in all, I had been coughing all day long for 11 months which was extremely physically and mentally draining, I felt some days like I just wanted to go jump off a bridge. No one ever wanted to be around me in public because I was coughing all the time and they were worried that I had Covid, so I got many hateful stairs from many people. For an entire year, I could never go inside a restaurant because of all the hateful looks I would get when I was coughing at the table. It was the most difficult year of my life. I am a Canadian and I was diagnosed in the US, so I chose not to go home and have free medical care, I chose to stay in Arizona and go to the Mayo Clinic. After they did a lung biopsy at the Mayo Clinic, the Doctor Who did the lung biopsy told me that I had six months to live with no treatment and 12 months with treatment. I had already made up my mind that I was not going to take chemo, so I thought at that point that I had six months to live. At that point I had been leasing a house and because of what this doctor told me, I broke the lease on my house and gave away all of my furniture and 90% of my belongings, believing that I would never return to Arizona for the winter. A few weeks later when I went in for a checkup, the doctor did my biopsy was not in, and so his boss came to speak with me instead. I was curious if she would have the same timeframe that he did so I asked her how long she thought I had and she said that everyone was different and she couldn't tell me. Then I told her what the first doctor told me and she was absolutely livid that he told me that. She told me that she was going to reprimand him because he had no business telling me how long I had to live when he wasn't even an oncologist. She told me, that depending on the treatment that I take, I could have two or three years left. So when I found out what my mutation was and that I was going to go on (Tagrisso), I was quite relieved because they told me that the average that that drug worked was 18 months. I have now been onto Tagrisso for 22 months and still feeling pretty good. But I am expecting the drug to stop working at any time, and at this point they tell me there isn't much else that can be done as they never do surgery on stage three or four cancer. I'm telling my story to encourage all of you, who think there might be something wrong when you have a terrible cough, please go in and demand to have an x-ray or a CT scan, don't leave it as long as I did and find out you have stage four metastatic cancer.
Thank you so much for bravely sharing your story. It’s heartbreaking to hear about the challenges you’ve faced, from the misdiagnoses to the mental and physical toll your symptoms and treatment have taken on your life. Your strength in persevering through such a difficult journey is inspiring, and your decision to share your experience is undoubtedly going to save lives. You’ve highlighted such an important lesson: advocating for yourself in the face of persistent health issues. It’s a sobering reminder of how critical it is to push for further testing when symptoms don’t improve, and it underscores the importance of thorough, compassionate care from healthcare providers. I’m so glad you’ve responded well to Tagrisso and that you’ve exceeded expectations with your treatment. Your resilience and determination to use your story to raise awareness will undoubtedly help others navigate similar challenges. Thank you for turning such a painful experience into a powerful message for others. Sending strength and encouragement your way!
Thank you for sharing. The same thing happened to my mom. May I ask was you a smoker in the past and your age? My mom was 72 when we found out. She had a bad cough as well, PC never recommended a lung cancer screening. I will pray for you, and I wish you peace on earth and in spirit.
@@Lovely0710 Hi, no I never smoked. I am in my 60's. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers and I will keep your mom and you in mine, I wish the very best for her.
You are so inspiring. The bravery it takes for both of you women to share this publicly in order to help others is noble. Thank you again
Yes, both Leah and Teri are valuable advocates in the young lung cancer community and we are so appreciative of how the help to educate others through their own personal experiences with the disease.
These two women are amazing. ❤ … I get comfort from their expressions of loss - not that I’m on the same page with cancer but I am on a comparable page when it comes to the grief associated with a traumatic level of loss. We lost our son 5-months ago. He was 27. And Karsten struggled with addiction to prescribed pharmaceuticals until they took his life in a mistaken overdose. It was and is horrendous. We as parents are dealing with his loss as is his twin brother who doesn’t discuss it at all. But I just want to say thank-you for making this. It really helps me to feel less alone. ❤
so deeply sorry for the loss of your son...Losing a child is an unimaginable heartbreak, and I can only begin to understand the depth of your grief. Thank you for sharing your story and for your courage in expressing something so personal and painful. It means a lot to know that this video resonated with you and provided some sense of connection in such a difficult time. Please know you are not alone, and there is strength in your vulnerability. Sending you and your family love and support as you navigate this journey
Thanks!
Wow! What a nice gesture thank you for the support!!
I got Covid on July 1st, 2023. I got a terrible cough that would not go away, so I went to my primary doctor and told her I had a terrible non-stop cough. She gave me an inhaler, which never worked. I went back around a month or two later and told her I still had a terrible cough. She said she could give me another inhaler and I told her I did not want one because it did not work the first time. She said I most probably had long Covid and I would just have to put up with it. I left the office extremely depressed because by this time I have been coughing for many months all day and all night long. But I trusted my doctor and assumed I just had long Covid and I just had to be patient and one day I would get over it.
But in January 2024, when I was playing pickle ball, I was completely running out of breath which was shocking because I had always been extremely healthy and I could play pickle ball for six hours straight without sitting down. So when I started running out of breath, that's when I realized there must be something wrong other than long Covid. So I went to emergency care and they gave me an x-ray and they told me that I had walking pneumonia and it was nothing to be concerned about. They gave me three different very potent drugs and told me that would take care of my cough. After I finished the drugs, my cough was just as bad, so I went back to them and they gave me the strongest antibiotic they had and said that would definitely work. After I finish that drug I was still coughing all day long and went back to them and demanded another x-ray. When they looked at the 2nd x-ray, they came in and said to me that I needed to go to emergency immediately because they didn't like the looks of my x-ray. So I went to emergency where they did a CAT scan and the doctor comes in and says ma'am, you do not have long Covid, you have stage four metastatic lung cancer. I was an absolute total shock.
If only my doctor had recommended getting an x-ray when I went to see her the second time, we most probably would've caught my cancer before it became stage four. I then went on (Tagrisso) and within a couple of months my cough finally stopped. So all in all, I had been coughing all day long for 11 months which was extremely physically and mentally draining, I felt some days like I just wanted to go jump off a bridge. No one ever wanted to be around me in public because I was coughing all the time and they were worried that I had Covid, so I got many hateful stairs from many people. For an entire year, I could never go inside a restaurant because of all the hateful looks I would get when I was coughing at the table. It was the most difficult year of my life.
I am a Canadian and I was diagnosed in the US, so I chose not to go home and have free medical care, I chose to stay in Arizona and go to the Mayo Clinic. After they did a lung biopsy at the Mayo Clinic, the Doctor Who did the lung biopsy told me that I had six months to live with no treatment and 12 months with treatment. I had already made up my mind that I was not going to take chemo, so I thought at that point that I had six months to live. At that point I had been leasing a house and because of what this doctor told me, I broke the lease on my house and gave away all of my furniture and 90% of my belongings, believing that I would never return to Arizona for the winter. A few weeks later when I went in for a checkup, the doctor did my biopsy was not in, and so his boss came to speak with me instead. I was curious if she would have the same timeframe that he did so I asked her how long she thought I had and she said that everyone was different and she couldn't tell me. Then I told her what the first doctor told me and she was absolutely livid that he told me that. She told me that she was going to reprimand him because he had no business telling me how long I had to live when he wasn't even an oncologist. She told me, that depending on the treatment that I take, I could have two or three years left. So when I found out what my mutation was and that I was going to go on (Tagrisso), I was quite relieved because they told me that the average that that drug worked was 18 months. I have now been onto Tagrisso for 22 months and still feeling pretty good. But I am expecting the drug to stop working at any time, and at this point they tell me there isn't much else that can be done as they never do surgery on stage three or four cancer.
I'm telling my story to encourage all of you, who think there might be something wrong when you have a terrible cough, please go in and demand to have an x-ray or a CT scan, don't leave it as long as I did and find out you have stage four metastatic cancer.
Thank you so much for bravely sharing your story. It’s heartbreaking to hear about the challenges you’ve faced, from the misdiagnoses to the mental and physical toll your symptoms and treatment have taken on your life. Your strength in persevering through such a difficult journey is inspiring, and your decision to share your experience is undoubtedly going to save lives.
You’ve highlighted such an important lesson: advocating for yourself in the face of persistent health issues. It’s a sobering reminder of how critical it is to push for further testing when symptoms don’t improve, and it underscores the importance of thorough, compassionate care from healthcare providers.
I’m so glad you’ve responded well to Tagrisso and that you’ve exceeded expectations with your treatment. Your resilience and determination to use your story to raise awareness will undoubtedly help others navigate similar challenges. Thank you for turning such a painful experience into a powerful message for others. Sending strength and encouragement your way!
Thank you for sharing. The same thing happened to my mom. May I ask was you a smoker in the past and your age? My mom was 72 when we found out. She had a bad cough as well, PC never recommended a lung cancer screening.
I will pray for you, and I wish you peace on earth and in spirit.
@@Lovely0710 Hi, no I never smoked. I am in my 60's. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers and I will keep your mom and you in mine, I wish the very best for her.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. It does inspire!
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch. It means a lot.
Thank you for sharing your story with the world 🌎
Thank you for watching it. It is very meaningful to our community.