Hi, I’m Anu. I am a lung cancer warrior and this is my story.

I was experiencing symptoms like fatigue and breathing difficulties that persisted for months.

I visited a hospital where my doctor confirmed that I had stage 4 lung cancer.

When I received my diagnosis, I was overwhelmed with sadness, loneliness and felt isolated.

As of late 2023, it has been more than a year since my diagnosis. I underwent surgery and am now receiving chemotherapy.

I am now navigating life with cancer.

My Symptoms

For a few months, I was experiencing strange symptoms. My chest felt heavy, I had difficulty breathing and I was unusually fatigued.

I visited a hospital, but felt that the doctor did not give me sufficient information about my condition.

The symptoms didn’t go away and I grew suspicious. So I sought a second opinion from a different hospital. To my dismay, the doctor diagnosed me with stage 4 lung cancer.

I made a few adjustments to my lifestyle as I prepared for
treatment.

I exercised more often than I used to and adopted a healthier
diet for most days of the week.

I am currently receiving treatment for cancer.

I eventually opted for these two treatment options because I have a deep sense of trust in my oncologists and their recommendations.

I underwent surgery last year and am currently receiving chemotherapy. I am eating a healthier diet daily to keep myself fit for treatment.

The only side-effect I experienced was hair loss due to chemotherapy.

My hair has since started to grow back slowly. But I wear hats to treatment sessions so that my head won’t feel cold.

Throughout my journey, my biggest fear was leaving behind my family members, especially my youngest daughter.

I am not afraid of dying from cancer. But I worry whether my family members, particularly my daughter, will take care of themselves when I’m gone. I don’t want them to miss me too much too.

Now as I’m going through cancer treatment, I feel the same as before: sadness, loneliness and isolation.

I still worry about my family and the effect that my lung cancer has on them.

I would say, trust your oncologists and work together with them.

I was a little discouraged after learning about my treatment plan, but after talking to my doctors about the details of my treatment (e.g., type of surgery, duration of recovery, what my cancer journey would look like after following their treatment recommendations), I was more positive about my diagnosis.

Embark on this cancer journey with full trust in your oncologists. Slowly but surely you can overcome this. This diagnosis is not the end.