As I alluded to in my last newsletter, this journey with lung cancer is coming to an end. While the full-liter drainage has slowed, the nurses still managed 700 ml yesterday. It has been as low as 75 mL, but this will never stop. After one round of the new treatments, earlier this week, I decided to stop them. I had some concerning side effects, mouth feel, eyesight challenges, and a skin rash. That leaves me with the inconvenience of drainage. I don't know how it will end, but I do know it has been a good run.
In 2018, I was given two numbers. 5% make it five years. And for my particular mutation, the median was 17 months. And here I am heading for 2026, much longer than I expected. It has given me time to make the most of advocacy and raise awareness of lung cancer. An 82% survival rate has no comparison to the 23% survival rate for lung cancer. Nor does the 25% of research compare to 6% for lung cancer. But I've been heard across the spectrum from the Canadian Cancer Society to a small group of patients connected on Facebook Messenger. I've had the opportunity to write several patient-perspective articles for ILCN (International Lung Cancer News).
I've been slowly pulling back from my commitments, realizing it is time to say farewell. I can't see gathering energy to write another one of these, so this is farewell as well.