Every so often, when the girls are particularly cute or goofy, or the sunset is beautiful, or we find ourselves especially sentimental, Miles and I will nudge each other and whisper “Can you believe it?” It’s our way of acknowledging how far we’ve come. We intentionally remind ourselves of the abject fear of my diagnosis. The sleepless nights. The mourning for the life – and carefree attitude – we’d lost. The longing for the future we weren’t sure we’d ever see. Grappling with those raw memories has a way of grounding us, of clearing our minds and renewing our awareness of how incredibly lucky ..read more

Tuesday, February 9th, 2022 was my “golden NEDiversary” – 9 years NED on the 9th! And golden it was. City of Hope President Dr. Caligiuri with me and fellow patients (Heidi far R), and Chris Draft (L) The celebration started on Tuesday, with an event at City of Hope to honor the White Ribbon Project. Heidi and Pierre Onda began this awesome awareness campaign – large, attention-grabbing white ribbons whose purpose is to spread awareness and promote discussions about lung cancer. Heidi, a fellow patient, is a firecracker, on a mission to change the face of lung cancer and increase research fund ..read more

“Hey Emily, there’s a guy here who says he knows you. His name is Ned? He says he wants to say hi, and that Miles would be totally cool with it?” This is how my amazing Nurse Practitioner, Carrie Christiansen, broke the news that my latest scans show that I am officially 4 YEARS NED (No Evidence of Disease)! Four years ago today, Dr. Flores performed the surgery that removed all visible cancer from my body. I just read the blog post from that day, and the comments of love and support from those of you around the country (and world!) brought tears to my eyes. I cannot express how overwhelm ..read more

Well, here we are – 8 years (and a few more wrinkles) later. On February 9, 2013, I was recovering in the ICU after surgery to remove my right lung, pleura, partial diaphragm and pericardial sac, and mediastinal lymph nodes. As drugged and in pain as I was, the moment Dr. Flores told me I was NED (No Evidence of Disease) – and the hope that it held for us – remains crystal clear. 2021, by the NED sign we held in 2013 2013 in the Mt. Sinai ICU, NYC Miles and I know how lucky we are to be here today. We often think of the friends we’ve lost along the way to this awful disease, and those we know ..read more

Miles and I traveled to City of Hope last week for my annual cancer scans, filled with the usual scanxiety. This was amplified by the fact that Miles would not – for the first time in 8+ years – be able to join me inside due to COVID-19 protocols. He has not only attended every single appointment, but he comes into the actual MRI room, and sits in my direct line of sight at the bottom of the MRI tube, in case I get scared and need a reassuring look from him. He’s the one who drops me off at one door for my CT scan, and races down the hallway to what he’s figured out is the exit door, just to m ..read more

I am honored to share with you our Cancer Today cover story! Over a year ago, Senior Editor Marci Landsmann read my surrogacy blog post, and contacted me about telling our story. She wanted to focus on our quest for fertility throughout our cancer journey, and after a few interviews, said she’d be in touch for an update once our future children were born. Shortly after Maggie and Hope arrived, Marci reached out again, and talking with her was like catching up with an old friend. I am extremely grateful for the candid, beautiful, poignant way she told our story ..read more

About a month before every scan, Miles starts to get nervous. “Scanxiety” they call it. The pacing begins; then the hypervigilance over every little cough (“What was that? You feel ok??”). Then the seemingly random and incessant question: “You promise?” This question began shortly after we returned home from my lung removal and radiation treatment in New York in 2013. It was like a nervous tick, a talisman of Miles’ internal anxiety. He’d ask “You promise?” and I would know instantly he was worrying. It became our shorthand for all the things we couldn’t possibly put into words – “You promise ..read more

Today is our Freeziversary! Four years ago, after undergoing fertility treatment while waiting to begin cancer treatment, I had the egg retrieval that led to the creation of our 9 embryos. We were so fearful of what was ahead of us when it came to cancer – but so hopeful that those embryos would be waiting for us in better days. I’ve said it a million times: knowing we had our embryos was a beacon of hope during all the difficult days.  They helped me push myself beyond what I ever thought I could endure. I cannot believe the journey that has led us here, and I cannot believe ho ..read more

Hello All ~ It’s been awhile!  Turns out, 3-year-old twins keep you pretty busy! This blog originated in 2012 as a vehicle for updating family and friends of my diagnosis and treatment. However, it soon morphed into a story of inspiration for other lung cancer patients. My journey was an arduous one, but I was beating nearly insurmountable odds, and this gave hope to both newly diagnosed patients and those undergoing debilitating treatments for this disease. Since receiving my stage 4 diagnosis, I have been in contact with many patients through this blog, and it has become part of my life ..read more

“Hey Emily, there’s a guy here who says he knows you. His name is Ned? He says he wants to say hi, and that Miles would be totally cool with it?” This is how my amazing Nurse Practitioner, Carrie Christiansen, broke the news that my latest scans show that I am officially 4 YEARS NED (No Evidence of Disease)! Four years ago today, Dr. Flores performed the surgery that removed all visible cancer from my body. I just read the blog post from that day, and the comments of love and support from those of you around the country (and world!) brought tears to my eyes. I cannot express how overwhelm ..read more