Ann H., KS

I had been experiencing a persistent, mildly irritating cough—“to clear my throat”—for several months. My physician assistant and I chalked it up to allergies. I also had some dull pain in my back, which I figured was just part of aging or the result of moving the wrong way. Then, in February 2023, I got COVID-19. I couldn’t shake the COVID cough and went through several rounds of antibiotics, thinking it might be bacterial.

On April 5, my primary care doctor ordered an X-ray of my lungs to rule out pneumonia. Instead, it revealed a mass in my lower right lung.

I was scheduled to leave for Costa Rica at the end of April for a trip of a lifetime with my sister. My doctor told me to go ahead and enjoy my trip, and we would do a CT scan when I returned. A couple more scans and tests later, I received the diagnosis: stage 3B adenocarcinoma.

My first thought was that I didn’t want my then 18-month-old granddaughter to grow up without me—I was determined to win this battle. My second thought: How the heck am I going to pay for this?

On June 5, I met my oncologist, and over the next 20 days, we aggressively attacked the tumor, which I nicknamed Edith. I had a PET scan, a brain MRI, met with a cardiothoracic surgeon, had my port placed and started the first of four rounds of chemotherapy. It worked—Edith was operable!

Surgery was scheduled to remove her on Oct. 23, 2024. The tumor was finally gone, along with two lymph nodes. Following surgery, I had two more rounds of chemotherapy and then 10 rounds of immunotherapy from December 2023 through October 2024.

It was all such a whirlwind of activity that the past two years seem to have vanished in a flash, even though, while going through it, I thought it would never end. I personally did not have trouble accessing the care I needed, but I know that others are not as fortunate.

I was also lucky to have health insurance and the ability to work full time while undergoing treatment. However, even with insurance, I will probably never be out of debt, having accrued tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.

I highly recommend early lung scans to aid in early detection. The need for proactive health screenings is more important now than ever.

I am honored to be the Kansas Lung Force Hero for 2025. I am doing this work in honor of my father, who passed from COPD in February of this year. I believe the work we do on Advocacy Day is critical to ensuring the CDC and NIH can continue promoting and protecting the health of everyone.