Survivors

My story

In the winter of 2009, I began to experience several symptoms and realize something was wrong with me. I noticed my voice was becoming weak, to the point where it sometimes disappeared altogether. It would get real raspy and I would cough a lot. The primary care doctor I was seeing treated it as GERD and put me on Prilosec^®, which did nothing. I also had pretty bad pain in the upper right side of my back. The doctor thought it was muscle spasms and put me on muscle relaxers for three weeks. Again, it wasn’t any help. And, I was losing feeling in parts of my right hand. The doctor thought I had a pinched nerve. To help me deal with the numbness in my hand, I saw a pain specialist. I also saw a chiropractor and a massage therapist figuring they could help solve my back pain.

After more than three months of runaround and no relief, I finally asked the doctor to give me a chest X-ray. When he refused, I walked out of his office and decided it was time to get a new doctor. I called a family practice for an appointment, which led to an X-ray. Three weeks went by before they called to say the X-ray showed a “density” on my right lung. Finally, I had a CT scan. This time my wife Susan and I didn’t wait for the practice to call us with the results. Susan was on the phone the next morning.

Susan called me at work to give me the news she received: The scan showed a mass the size of a golf ball. They thought it was lung cancer. I didn’t want to hear it. Susan had suspected all along I had lung cancer. She lost her father to it in 1984 and she recognized similar symptoms in me.

My outlook

I continue to return to CTCA for checkups. I do live with fear the cancer will come back, but I try to think positively. I intend to put cancer out of my life and move on. There’s every reason to be optimistic.

I am fortunate my career was long and fruitful and I am able to enjoy my pension, retirement and life with Susan. We’re coming up on our 40th anniversary, and we’re going to make it to our 50th. We have a happy house. We’ve been to Arizona, Illinois, Florida and Washington. But no matter where we go, we always can’t wait to get to home. We cherish it. We have projects around the house and every spring we look forward to planting our next garden. All of those little things fill our lives.

Kathleen Houlihan

http://www.cancercenter.com/community/survivors/kathleen-houlihan/

My story

Only God knows when we will be born and when we will die and it matters how we live our dash. We must make every day count for we are not promised a tomorrow. Season this with faith, hope and love and the endurance of difficult situations or the mountain top experiences will be in our life’s resume. Be in the moment ~~ Be where you are ~~ Always keep dreaming and don’t stop living. That’s how I live my life.

More than 25 years ago, I survived cervical cancer. And in 1999, I went through three major lifestyle changes at once: I retired from an airline, where I worked in personnel and operations for 31 years; my husband and I moved to Goodyear, Arizona after living in St. Louis for 33 years; and 13 days after we moved to Arizona, my husband passed away unexpectedly. I was upside down for awhile. But with hope, faith, love, and support from wonderful family and friends, I rebounded. And that’s exactly what’s getting me through my journey with lung cancer.

I am thriving!

All of the things I’ve been able to do during and since I completed treatment are amazing. I’ve sailed several times, traveled to Seattle and taken trips to see family members across the country. I am so blessed because I have such a great family and friends. And, my prayer life is strong. I have another sail trip planned for three weeks. I’m still active in my church and music life, as well as my social life. Yes, I’ve altered a few things in my life, and some things have changed in my life because of the therapy my body has been exposed to. But that’s all OK ~ I don’t need to multi-task ~ I do need to stay more focused ~ a lot of things I thought were important aren’t really that important as I’ve had to re-evaluate a lot of things in my life. But I did it because I can! Each day is a blessing!

One of the ways I give back is by being a CTCA Cancer Fighter and member of the CTCA Cancer Fighters^®Care Net. It allows me to help others who are going through what I went through. I can answer some of their questions and offer comfort and support.

My story

When I was 63 years old, I began experiencing a persistent cough that was worsening. At one point, I was going through a bag of cough drops every day. Nothing was helping.

At the VA hospital in Houston, Texas, where I live, I had some tests done. The doctors determined I had stage IV lung cancer.

I decided to get a second opinion at another regional hospital. There, the doctor did a biopsy, which had not been done at my first examination. The conclusion was the same.

Then I received an e-mail from a friend mentioning Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). I had never heard of CTCA, but after receiving a second e-mail mentioning CTCA from another friend a week later, I took the initiative to call.

My message

My message to anyone with cancer, especially with advanced lung cancer, is: Don’t let anyone tell you how long you have to live. The truth is no one really knows. You have to believe it’s not the end.

I encourage anyone who has cancer to listen to what the doctors at CTCA have to say.

Since my diagnosis, I have seen my daughter graduate from junior college. I made it to 66 years old, and I’m looking forward to 67.

Kim Urquhart

http://www.cancercenter.com/community/survivors/kim-urquhart/

My Commentary

These stories are the stories of very lucky people. With the death rates of lung cancer being so high, I believe it is safe to say that the lord was on their side. These stories could be inspirational to anyone with lung cancer.