Friends and Family, Yesterday, Genevieve and I got the results of my first scan since starting this new clinical trial two months ago. I’m breathing easier and coughing less, so it was a massive relief but no surprise when we got great results! Many of my spots are stable, and many have shrunk a bunch. I no longer have enough spots to film a new 101 Dalmatians movie inside my chest. The real magic happens when those spots disappear! This is my third clinical trial, and my second one that has been successful. I would have died eight years ago without clinical trials. In fact, every survivor th ..read more

Friends and Family, I’ve been on my trial for almost four weeks now, and the best part is that the drug seems to be working. Forget about the snow still melting in my yard; It’s another beautiful day in paradise. I say this even though we got off to a rough start. Most trials involve a “washout period.” Scientists who clearly aren’t living with a disease that is trying to eat you alive decide that you must be off a drug like Tagrisso, which has a 48-hour half-life, for two weeks before starting the new drug. During that time, the cancer is free to grow and metastasize as it pleases for the sa ..read more

Friends and Family, Genevieve’s video has just dropped as the next step in the LUNGevity mental wellness project, and it’s available for now. Angela James (an excellent interviewer) interviewed Genevieve about her role as a caregiver, or as she calls herself, a care supporter. Even though I hear her talk about this at home all the time, I was blown away by how good this is. Her role is in many ways more challenging because she needs to constantly adapt to my changing needs and abilities that go up and down with each treatment phase, and she must also find a way to live a rich life of her own ..read more

Friends and Family, Genevieve and I are part of a LUNGevity mental wellness project that I want to share with you. Four of us were interviewed and recorded for this series. My interview with Angela James is the first of the four to be released (one per week). I was asked about what it means to thrive with cancer, coping skills for dealing with the inevitable fear and grief, communicating with people about your cancer, and more. Angela made it easier to be vulnerable, so much so that I get choked up just watching the replay. I hope you find it valuable. You can find the video at https://egfr.l ..read more

Friends and Family,  Things are going far better than we could have hoped, and we’re excited! Once again, I have fallen and landed on my feet. I must be on about my 16th life. Genevieve and I were expecting to travel to LA or Denver for a clinical trial until my oncologist got me into a closed trial in Portland. She put me on the wait list fast enough so that when an opening came up, I was at the top of the list. Since the list could include people in South Korea, the UK, and many sites across the US, her speed made the difference. I only wish it didn’t mean others don’t get in. The tria ..read more

Friends and Family, There should be another stage of grief, the first stage, called wallowing. That’s what I was still doing when I wrote the last story. I’ve gotten past that now, and I’m again remembering just how fortunate I am to even be here. I’m looking to the future again. We don’t have a clear direction yet, but we do have progress. We were also reminded of the importance of being your own advocate. Monday morning the hospital scheduler called and said that my records had been sent out to the clinical trial sites and that I had a biopsy scheduled for early Wednesday. So far, so good ..read more

Friends and Family, About a year ago, after I had come back from the brink, I asked my oncologist what was the longest she had seen anyone stay on Alimta without progression. She said five years. That was my target, I decided. I wanted to make it five years or more. I lasted fourteen months. Genevieve and I were both relaxed before this latest oncologist appointment three days ago, one where we would get the latest scan results. I was feeling great, and after sixteen and a half years, we’ve gotten used to dealing with scanxiety. That’s why we were so surprised to learn that two spots on my li ..read more

Every year Genevieve and I celebrate my cancerversary, and this July we were thrilled to celebrate my sixteenth. But this year Genevieve and I are celebrating a second kind of cancerversary. By this time last year, cancer had progressed to my brain, liver, two-thirds of my spine, and the lining in my lungs. I was on oxygen, Genevieve had to wheel me around the hospital because I couldn’t get enough air to walk that far. I slept in a chair for three months because I couldn’t get enough air lying down. I had PleurX drains placed in both lungs so that every other day Genevieve and I could drain ..read more

Friends and Family, In support of Lung Cancer Awareness Month I have taken on two projects this year: First, one of the challenges for survivors is helping people without cancer understand that we are just like them. To address this, it’s time we show rather than tell. Starting November 1, 2022, check out two new tabs at the top of this blog, “Faces” and “More Faces.” It makes me burst for joy when I see what people have to share of themselves! Next, I am offering my book for FREE for the first three days of November. The book shares the lessons I learned in the first eight or so years of my ..read more

Friends and Family,   If it seems like a long time since I’ve posted, you’re right. I didn’t mean to keep you guessing. It’s just that I’ve been having too much fun to write.   Let’s start with my latest CT scan results, which are stable- again! We’re grateful, but weren’t surprised because I’m feeling great and don’t have any symptoms. There’s more going on than scan results, though.   Ever since I recovered from last year’s near-death experience, and then got past the doctor-ordered healing period after my hernia surgery, I’ve been stretching my physical limits. There’s the da ..read more