Doug Shada

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All spring, Doug had a light cough and we thought it was probably caused by allergies. In mid-June, it was getting irritating so Doug saw a doctor in Kearney. The diagnosis was walking pneumonia. However, after two weeks on a strong antibiotic, there was no change so a CT scan  was ordered. The results of that scan were made available to us on June 30, 2017, and the grim report was that the large mass in his left lung was most likely cancer and also that nearby lymph nodes were also involved. 


We have a dear relative in Omaha who immediately set us up with the best doctors at the new Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha. After two appointments the first week of July, a biopsy was performed and it was confirmed that he had lung cancer. Doug had melanoma cancer in 1972 and four years later, that cancer showed up in his lymph glands and doctors told us it was life threatening. God had other plans as the treatment was very successful and that cancer has not shown up since that time. In 1998, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had a radical prostatectomy. The current diagnosis is lung cancer and is not related to the previous episodes.


A PET scan on July 14 and an MRI on July 20 revealed that lung cancer had metastasized to the brain, lymph nodes near the lung, to bones in each shoulder and to both sides of the pelvis, making it Stage IV.  The following week the brain tumor was treated with target radiation. On August 9, radiation was done on the left pelvis and right shoulder, strictly for pain control.  August 16 was a 9-hour day at the Cancer Center to install a port and receive his first chemotherapy treatment. And so the story of our lung cancer journey begins.  We know that we are not on the journey alone. First of all, God will never leave us or forsake us and He will not allow something in our lives without giving us everything we need to deal with it. He is faithful to us everyday. And then, there are our family and friends who are diligently praying and offering support in different ways. We can never thank you enough!