{"id":398,"date":"2018-09-06T07:46:58","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T21:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lungfoundation.com.au\/?post_type=story&p=398"},"modified":"2018-10-18T15:28:03","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T05:28:03","slug":"evangeline","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/lungfoundation.com.au\/stories\/evangeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Evangeline’s story"},"content":{"rendered":"

On top of the world<\/h3>\n

I was a busy Accountant operating my own accounting practice and other businesses all of which were thriving in 2016. I was one of the 2015 Gold Coast Women in Business Awardees of Merit. My husband and I bought my new car, our house and my spacious office all in same year! I was success driven and it was all happening very well\u00a0for me.\u00a0It was MY TIME\u00a0after raising two beautiful daughters, after\u00a0supporting my parents and doing all the study and work experience\u00a0needed to be CPA in public practice.<\/p>\n

In October 2016, despite my busy schedule, I booked in a doctor’s appointment to have my heart checked as\u00a0I was experiencing\u00a0occasional chest pain. I also let my Doctor know that I had intermittent\u00a0pain in my tail bone over the\u00a0past year. Surely the motorcycle ride with my husband\u00a0from the Gold Coast to Hunter Valley in March 2015 wasn\u2019t responsible for this lingering pain? Throughout 2015-2016,\u00a0I started to feel fatigue\u00a0and occasional chest, neck and shoulder pain.\u00a0To manage my fatigue and pain I started to have regular massages and a\u00a0quarterly injection of Vitamin B.<\/p>\n

My diagnosis<\/h4>\n

I had no clue that my lung (left) was responsible for these combined symptoms of\u00a0fatigue, chest, neck and shoulder pain! My life changed in just one breath when my Doctor diagnosed me with a rare type of\u00a0lung cancer that was inoperable, incurable and terminal.\u00a0My oncologist said my life will be short and\u00a0I was too afraid to ask how short it will be. It was the moment when my world stool still!\u00a0I will always remember the pain and tears from my husband’s face as well as my daughters and my close friends. This was not the first time that my life was impacted by cancer. In 2003 my husband was diagnosed with leukemia. Fortunately for us he was diagnosed at an early stage and he now lives a normal healthy and active\u00a0lifestyle thanks to the pill\u00a0Glivec which was\u00a0on a clinical\u00a0trial then. Unfortunately for me, and others in the same situation as me, my cure is still to be invented.<\/p>\n

My type of rare\u00a0lung cancer is called ALK+ (Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase)\u00a0and it is usually not diagnosed until stage 4, by which time the cancer has already\u00a0spread. Nearly all ALK+ lung cancer patients were NON smokers, active, healthy and younger.\u00a0The\u00a0targeted chemo pill\u00a0which I am currently\u00a0taking is working however the median is only 11 months before cancer starts to progress\u00a0again. Fortunately the second pill was approved last February 2017 and the third should be available shortly. These pills will assist in\u00a0prolonging my life but after a\u00a0period of time becomes ineffective.\u00a0The five year survival rate for stage 4 is less than 5%.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On top of cancer<\/h4>\n

Living with lung cancer has taught me so much about taking care of myself and living to the fullest.\u00a0I am driven by participating in my well-being\u00a0and focusing on\u00a0the true meaning of life.\u00a0I have made radical changes since diagnosis and that includes only\u00a0working part-time, changing my\u00a0diet, doing\u00a0regular\u00a0exercise, regular acupuncture and most of all educate myself on dealing with my illness. Though I can’t be cured, I can still be feel better, go on holidays and have a more fulfilling life. I try to\u00a0stay positive and not be bothered by the short life diagnosis. Part of my cancer\u00a0journey is\u00a0giving back to my community by being\u00a0an advocate for lung cancer through charity events, media exposure, committee\/organisation\u00a0memberships and connecting with patients and\u00a0carers. I\u00a0have\u00a0created a Facebook support page called Love Our Lungs (LOL)\u00a0with the hope of providing support for other cancer patients and their families. The site also allows me to\u00a0to share my journey with my family and friends who have been\u00a0my greatest support in my new life of living with cancer.<\/p>\n

I now live with the hope that more medical advancements will be made and that within my lifetime lung cancer will be a chronic rather than a terminal disease.\u00a0I am determined to make the community aware of the devastating nature of this disease. Lung cancer can happen to people who have never\u00a0smoked in their life like me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sharing your personal experience with lung disease is a compelling and inspiring way for others to learn about and cope with their diagnosis. Your story may also encourage people to identify and act on symptoms they are experiencing, which may otherwise have been ignored.<\/h4>\n

Share your story, here<\/a>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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