If you are new to this blog, here is a brief summary of why I am writing this. If you had asked me back in February 2013, writing this blog would be the last thing I thought I would be doing. I was a pretty healthy, non-smoking 60 year old who had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. Only smokers get that, right? Not! But I really didn’t know that. I am learning rapidly, however. Google is now my friend, unless I use it to look up statistics – then it is my enemy. 🙂
A local newscaster, Loren Nancarrow, who is battling brain cancer (update: Loren passed away on December 28, 2013), gave me the inspiration to name my enemy – Fuzzy, thus the play on Get Fuzzy. OK, so my humor is a bit off these days. Plus after February 27, 2013, I had to change “Fuzzy” to “Fuzzies.” 😦
I also feel it’s important to get the word out that lots of lung cancer victims are non-smokers. People need to understand that so I am not afraid of stating my case.
If you’re not afraid of TMI, go ahead and jump to the bottom of the chronology and read your way up. Otherwise just start right in at the top.
I have a zillion friends (and family) that are providing wonderful support. If you are reading this, I count you among them.
I just found out. So sorry to hear you are going through this, Craig. Your second son now knows as well and we’ll be checking in to see if we can bring food, beer, Rich’s infamous puns. We’re also good for rides if Kim is working and you are not feeling up to driving. Hugs, Kathy
Craig,
I’m asking my congregation at mt tabor Presbyterian church to keep you, Kim, Brett, and bradyn in prayer.
Craig, my prayers & best positive thoughts are with you. By allowing all of us to follow you here, we can be part of your healing process, so thank you. As you say “one day at a time”.
Craig, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Ed
My mom is also battling lung cancer and just reading your blog gives me more hope. You are touching many people. Thank you!
My best thoughts are with you. I also have non smokers lung cancer. I have been in the battle 9 months. Mine had spead before we accidently discovered what I had. It has been a difficult battle, I was already in stage 4 at the time of the discovery and am not curable. I have been in chemo since last July. I will have chemo every three weeks for the rest of my life. I have responded well to the treatments and likewise have my good and bad days. I have had great support from family, friends and work. Key to survival, in my words is having a positive attiude. I refuse to be sick. You blog is good thing and it communicates well.
What a difference a day makes! I knew there was a good reason I stocked up on the bubbly last night, and more importantly popped the cork!
May the great news continue along with countless toasts to mark each and every victory!
Hugs throughout ♥ ~M2
Hi, Craig, Michelle told my son Eric your blog about a week ago. That really helped our family a lot!! My husband Ed (also a non-smoker) has followed your track (about 1.5 months after you) almost exactly. He had a brain surgery in April, then radiation therapy, followed by Tarceva a week ago. I compared your notes with his response to Tarceva. Bingo! He also got rashes starting from the day 4. Thank you so much for sharing your journey.
Craig, My story is about as long as any body’s. Extreme back pain in Fubruary,followed by xrays, Ct scans and MRI’s.Found toumor on L-1 vertibrea that had eaten it away. Before surgery could be scheduled,it disentigrated. Now under emergancy condition they rebuilt it and I was walking within 7 days. Oh yes , did I mention they found stage 4 NSCLC that had spread to one of my ribs and have a large tumor in one lung… Now on Zometa and Tarceva
Hi Craig. So glad to see you are blogging about this. Lung cancer is nasty. Period. However, we’re a huge network of folks dedicated to brining awareness to this ugly disease. My mom battling lung cancer for 4 years. We just started a chat on twitter and if you get a chance I encourage you to follow it. Lots and lots of advocates and fighters who are all in the same position of learning what to do. Go to twitter and search #lcsm
I started my blog as a way to talk about my feelings about lung cancer and what it has done to my family. Prayers to you as you navigate your way through this…looks like you’ve got a GREAT support system and that’s half the battle! Good luck to you!
Hey Craig – My name is Bruce Morgan – My sweet little cousin Joyce is your Mother-in-LAW which explains why I know everything good there is to know about you – she talks about you all the time. Having read your Blog, I am so proud of you for what you are doing to share your trials with others. I’ve witnessed the ‘progress’ of several friends thru the years in their battles with cancer of various sorts an admire their courage. Being an eternal optimist I guess my method of coping is to grasp with joy at any positive sign they may receive along the way. And I pick up on any news or treatment I hear of, no matter how far-fetched it may be, which may lead to improvement of their condition or that might otherwise mitigate a worsening of same. I hope you will not be offended as I would like to suggest you take a look at the information on the ‘Nature’s Pearl’ website (www.naturespearlproducts.com); I know little about it other than an acquaintance referred it to me – & it sounds interesting & may be helpful.
God Bless You. Please give my love to Kim.
Bruce, thanks for the note. I certainly am not offended at your recommendation. Eating healthy, including the right supplements, is recommended in conjunction with the rest of the treatments I am undergoing. I must admit that since I have been doing do well, I haven’t really changed my eating habits too much. I know I need to get on that plan as it can only help me to maintain the stability I currently have. Joyce is truly a wonder in her own right having had to undergo multiple hip replacements. She really is a trooper.
I appreciate you reaching out.
Just discovered your blog, Craig, and I’m loving it. We have a lot of parallels, from lung cancer to the metastasis to the Nether-Regions, which is an area far south of the Netherlands.
I’ve been going through different stages of lung cancer and remission for seven and a half years now. I’ve been on Tarceva for 8 months and finished radiation treatment 8 weeks ago. For my own story in blog form, see http://dannscancerchronicles.blogspot.com. I’m very jealous of your graphics skills, by the way.
I just happen to be visiting San Diego from Portland this week, and I’ll be here until New Years Day. I’d love to get together for a cup of coffee if you have the energy.
Speaking of energy, I’m sending lots of the positive stuff your way.
Dann, just replied via e-mail. Would love to get together. See my e-mail. Thanks for the positive vibes.
Craig – During our cross-country Christmas phone call, my sister Marilyn & I updated each other on some of our recent family events. I had tried to reach Joyce by phone but didn’t connect, I don’t think. Marilyn told me she had, in fact, hooked up with our little cousin but wasn’t sure what was said. Not surprising though; we are all octogenarians & are not sure who is hardest of hearing and are definitely not sure if we realize what the heck is going on even if we do capture a few words. But, you did make our conversation; our thoughts & prayers are with you, Craig.
I know you are busy fighting your ills but if you get a few minutes, maybe you can help Marilyn’s husband Vince by sharing some of the medical knowledge you have gained over this past year dealing with cancer. He has been suffering with acute back pain for the past couple of months & has yet been unable to obtain an accurate diagnosis of his problem. I know few exact details of his situation other than there is some suspect that the pain may be related to a recent episode of bladder cancer. Rather than list my 3rd hand knowledge of his problem I would defer to my sister Marilyn who has been living his nightmare with him 24/7. Kim knows how to get in touch with them at Air Force Village West.
Hope this isn’t out of line and doesn’t inconvenience you but at this point any help at all would be deeply appreciated by all.
Best Regards, Bruce
p.s. Keep on hanging in there; your work here isn’t finished. We love you.
Bruce, I just replied via e-mail. Thanks for your note. I’ll see what we can do.
Peter
San Diego
Word of (your) mouth.
“Get Fuzzy” is one of the most delightful and underrated comic strips of all time!
Awaiting your next move have started following you my husband was diagnosed end of March 2014 and is on tarceva. I’m sure they will come up with something good for you. Please keep us up to date.
Martha in iowa
Martha, thank you for your note. Still awaiting word on the next steps. I’ll be posting as soon as I hear something. Hopefully tomorrow.
Hi Craig,
I’m Kim’s cousin .. We had the “cousins reunion” at our house in Long Beach around 7 or 8 years ago. I just want you to know we understand, first hand, the battle you are fighting and are rooting for you. Thank you for your generosity in sharing this journey when it would be so easy to keep it to yourself. Hug Kim for me : )
Craig. Martha in iowa again. Hope the wheels turn around for you soon. I’m getting tired of your runaround too. Really no excuse. It’s just these huge hospitals. Awaiting word on which mutation it is. My hubby is having some eating issues right now. We are tying to get that turned around.
Martha, thanks. Tomorrow is Friday and I have a bet going that I will still not have the results of my biopsy done 2 weeks ago. Normally I try and be optimistic but for some reason this time I don’t have loads of confidence. Hope you hubby gets back on track. I’ve lost about 8 pounds in past 6 weeks. No bueno. Forcing myself to eat if necessary.
Craig I can’t imagine the frustration!! When my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005 we were living in SoCal. After checking out several regional cancer facilities, we decided to go elsewhere … For exactly this reason!! It’s tough enough to know your life is in the balance. The stress of the medical community’s continuous failure to meet its commitments doesn’t help AT ALL!!
Cheryl, thanks for the note. It’s been a bit of a challenge lately. Hopefully I’ll get an update tomorrow when I meet with my onc-doc. Stay tuned!
Thanks.
Craig
Craig. It at least sounds like you are getting it narrowed down now. I’m sure it’s so frustrating waiting.
We are down in the Carolina’s visiting family but my husbands appetite is still not there. Very frustrating to watch him lose weight snd barely eat. I just keep trying to get him to drink ensures. Has your appetite improved yet? Keep forcing that KFC in you whenever you can. Keep updating I look forward to every word.
Martha in iowa
Thanks Martha in Iowa. J Not having an appetite is new for me and I look forward to the time I get it back and have to worry about gaining weight. I don’t think I will see it come back until after I’ve been on this new drug, which will hopefully have a positive effect. Right now it’s looking to be about 3-4 weeks before I can begin popping pills. In the meantime, I just need to hang tough, but with notes of encouragement likes yours, I’ll make it through.
Hi Craig! Wanted you to know I nominated you for the “One Lovely Blog” award — you can read more about it and why I nominated you here: http://wp.me/p4vtko-hD. You are #1 on my list. 🙂
Thank you for the nomination. Heading out of town but will follow up on this when I return. About the only blogs I follow, with one or two exceptions, are cancer patients that blog. I’ll see what I can put together when I get back. Thanks again.
Craig
Hi Craig,
Saw your blog and would love to speak to you about potentially attending a blogger event on elevating the lung cancer discussion. If you’re interested, please email me (Victoria.milevski@zenogroup.com)
Hi Craig,
I hope this finds you and your loved ones well after New Year’s with much joy.
Wanted to check back in and share our campaign’s latest update with you.
We’re getting ready to launch live online this upcoming Thursday, February 4th, World Cancer Day!
Please consider joining us in the War on Cancer.
I’ve attached a link to the inspirational story behind the cancer planner.
Here is a video message from Sharon Kim, the creator of CanPlan:
If you’d like to help our project, please do not hesitate to contact me.
We really appreciate your feedback.
Because together,
We can
Angela Xiong
Executive Assistant
CanPlan LLC
W: (408) 337-6938
C: (808) 381-9122
http://www.MyCanPlan.com