Ann McDaniel

Friends and Family,

We learned this week that mom has non small cell carcinoma lung cancer. She has been feeling fatigued and had a cough since about last December. After initially being treated for pneumonia, her general practitioner saw something on her chest x-ray and referred her to a pulmonologist, who ordered a pet scan and biopsy. Unfortunately, the pet scan showed cancer in several places, including the lung. After waiting a few days to get the biopsy results, she had her first appointment with her oncologist. We are in good hands. The pathology report shows that the cancer started in the lung. Her pet scan shows a mass in the left lung and some areas of her bone, including her vertebrae and scapula (shoulder bone). Next week they are going to run a test on the biopsy sample to see if the cancer has certain mutations that can be targeted with pills. These mutations are more common in non-smokers so we are hopeful this is the case. We will get the results back at the end of the next week. If the cancer does not have a targetable mutation, the treatment path will likely be immunotherapy and chemotherapy. They are also going to do a baseline MRI next week since the pet scan would not show whether there is any small thing on the brain that shouldn't be there. Mom does not have any concerning neurological symptoms but this will be done as standard procedure. We are encouraged by the great strides that the medical community has made against lung cancer in the last few years. There seem to be many new tools in the arsenal against this nasty disease.

Mom is in good spirits and has been busy cancelling her very busy calendar to gear up for the fight ahead. We all appreciate your prayers and messages of encouragement - please know they mean a lot.

Please pray for positive test results next week - specifically that the MRI shows no evidence that the cancer has spread to the brain and also that the cancer has a mutation that can be targeted with medicine without the need for chemotherapy.

Love,
Mary