Laura’s Journey with Stage Four Lung Cancer

I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer metastatic to my brain on Dec 15th, 2019. I was 39 years old. I was told I wouldn’t make it past a year and to get my affairs in order.

I went to the hospital because I thought I had the flu or pneumonia. I Had a slight cough. After running some tests, it turned out my left lung had clasped, and I had 7 liters of fluid in my chest. They began with doing a pig tail surgery. My lung inflated and it took seven days for the fluid in my chest to be cleared out. During those seven days the doctors kept telling me to prepare for a challenging diagnosis. Finally, when the diagnosis came, I was shook up to say the least. I told my partner of 6 years if she wanted to leave me, I understood. I knew this diagnosis journey would also be tough on her. I was concerned with living, but I know I would fight.

We started chemotherapy right away with Keytruda. I did that for a few months. Turned out it didn’t work. Devastation came crashing down on us. The doctors decided to do additional testing. The results showed I have the ALK mutation which changes the type of treatments I can receive. So my oncologist put me on Alectinib. At first I had a bad side effect so we lowered the dosing and the problem was solved. I did the cyber knife radiation for the first time for the brain mass.

The next 5 years went well! My tumors completely shrank! My version of remission and then I started getting small lesions on my brain. They watched it for a year dropped the ball and I ended up having to do 12 rounds of radiation. At the end I lost my hair. I lost it… I wouldn’t get out of bed… I was depressed hurt scared anxious. So, to the next chemotherapy I started was the worst chemo ever. So, we decided on a 2-week break. Started on a lower dose and still the same bad reactions. Recently I had a good scan. They told me I could take a three month break from chemotherapy medication!! Huge win for me.

My best words of advice to anyone who’s been touched by this or just been diagnosed.  Stay positive I can’t stress this enough! In the beginning I was positive and everyone around me was listening to the doctor. I kept telling myself and everyone around me that I was gonna be around for a long time. I do my best to stay active. Even if I don’t want to. I’ve lost and gained friends and family because this diagnosis is rough. But my partner and care giver has stood by me this whole time. Don’t get me wrong being sick all the time sucks, after years of fighting I’m so tired but I won’t give up! It’s almost 6 years now I’ve more than doubled my chances a few times. And that is amazing. 

ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer lung cancer patient stories

Last modified: April 18, 2025