Getting Diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2026 5:39 am
Hi everyone, it’s Stephanie with The Patient Story, and I hope you’re doing well wherever you’re joining us from. I’m thrilled to introduce our guest today. She’s been out there trying to use her voice to uplift others, and I’m so happy we get to do that together. Welcome to Shirley’s Pompey.
“Hi, how is everyone? Hi Stephanie, good to see you.”
“I’m excited to get this conversation going because there’s so much about your story that I think people will be inspired by and learn from. We’re so much more than our diagnosis, so I’d love for you to introduce yourself outside of that cancer context.”
“Well, one of the things I love to talk about is that I am a teacher. Before I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, I taught for about 17 years professionally. Teaching is a part of me—it’s my passion, my philosophy, everything about it. Even in other parts of my life, if there was a need for teaching, I was there.
Even now, after my diagnosis, I still teach—but in different ways. I help people become their best selves. That part of me will never go away. It’s my legacy. Everything I’ve overcome connects back to teaching. That’s who I am.”
“When you think back to when your symptoms first began, what was happening?”
“It was March 14, 2014. I was teaching that day, preparing my students for an important test. We were even dancing during a break—doing fun activities with the kids. Then suddenly, I felt heavy. My arms felt heavy, I became fatigued, and I had to sit down.
There was a strange throb in my chest. I didn’t know what it was, but it scared me. Then I heard a wheezing sound coming from my body. I realized something wasn’t right.
About a week later, I ended up in the emergency room. The doctor told me I wasn’t going anywhere. They arranged everything and took me by ambulance to another facility. That was the beginning of my journey.”
“When did you first suspect it might be something serious like cancer?”
“At first, nothing showed up. All the tests came back normal—no pneumonia, no heart issues. But I knew something was wrong because my symptoms were getting worse.
Eventually, doctors said they needed to look deeper. They performed a VATS procedure to drain fluid from my lung and collect tissue. That’s when things became more serious.
The biopsy results showed I had malignant cancer. Further testing, including biomarker analysis and a FISH test, showed I had an ALK-positive mutation.”
“How did you process that moment?”
“I cried. That was the first cry. I called my cousin, who is a nurse, and shared the news with her.
But I also leaned on my faith and my inner strength. I asked myself who I could reach out to, what I could hold onto. Then something inside me shifted—I thought, ‘If this is what it is, what’s next?’
I wanted to move forward quickly. I said, ‘Let’s go. Give me the treatment.’ Looking back, I was moving fast, like I was unstoppable. But chemotherapy was very difficult. I became weaker over time, and I had to reevaluate everything.”
“Did it take long to get a confirmed diagnosis?”
“Yes, it took about two weeks. Those two weeks were very intense.
When the doctor came to my bedside and said, ‘I’m so sorry, it’s cancer, and it’s stage four,’ that’s when I had my first real breakdown. I cried while speaking with my cousin on the phone.
It was one of the most vulnerable moments of my life.”
“What helped you get through that emotional period?”
“I had to rely on who I was before cancer. That mattered a lot. I leaned on my faith, my support system, and my ability to process things.
In that moment, I was searching for answers—medical, emotional, and spiritual. I needed something to ground me. I needed to know who I could call and what my next step was.
I also reached a point where I thought, ‘If I’m going to die, I need to stop preparing my funeral and start living.’ That changed my mindset.”
“How did you handle the idea of lung cancer without a smoking history?”
“At first, it was confusing. I wondered where this came from.
Later, I learned that my type of lung cancer was not related to smoking. It gave me an opportunity to reflect and heal emotionally and mentally—things from my past that I had never addressed before.
I realized I needed to be whole and clear in order for my treatment to work.”
“There’s also stigma around lung cancer. How did you deal with that?”
“I faced comments like, ‘Did you smoke?’ or ‘You must have been a smoker.’
At first, it was difficult. But I chose to turn it into a teaching moment. I would explain my diagnosis, my mutation, and make it clear that lung cancer is not only caused by smoking.
I also made it clear that I don’t judge anyone who smokes. I just needed people to understand my story.
That’s where my teaching background came in again—I used it to educate others and break the stigma.”
“Hi, how is everyone? Hi Stephanie, good to see you.”
“I’m excited to get this conversation going because there’s so much about your story that I think people will be inspired by and learn from. We’re so much more than our diagnosis, so I’d love for you to introduce yourself outside of that cancer context.”
“Well, one of the things I love to talk about is that I am a teacher. Before I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, I taught for about 17 years professionally. Teaching is a part of me—it’s my passion, my philosophy, everything about it. Even in other parts of my life, if there was a need for teaching, I was there.
Even now, after my diagnosis, I still teach—but in different ways. I help people become their best selves. That part of me will never go away. It’s my legacy. Everything I’ve overcome connects back to teaching. That’s who I am.”
“When you think back to when your symptoms first began, what was happening?”
“It was March 14, 2014. I was teaching that day, preparing my students for an important test. We were even dancing during a break—doing fun activities with the kids. Then suddenly, I felt heavy. My arms felt heavy, I became fatigued, and I had to sit down.
There was a strange throb in my chest. I didn’t know what it was, but it scared me. Then I heard a wheezing sound coming from my body. I realized something wasn’t right.
About a week later, I ended up in the emergency room. The doctor told me I wasn’t going anywhere. They arranged everything and took me by ambulance to another facility. That was the beginning of my journey.”
“When did you first suspect it might be something serious like cancer?”
“At first, nothing showed up. All the tests came back normal—no pneumonia, no heart issues. But I knew something was wrong because my symptoms were getting worse.
Eventually, doctors said they needed to look deeper. They performed a VATS procedure to drain fluid from my lung and collect tissue. That’s when things became more serious.
The biopsy results showed I had malignant cancer. Further testing, including biomarker analysis and a FISH test, showed I had an ALK-positive mutation.”
“How did you process that moment?”
“I cried. That was the first cry. I called my cousin, who is a nurse, and shared the news with her.
But I also leaned on my faith and my inner strength. I asked myself who I could reach out to, what I could hold onto. Then something inside me shifted—I thought, ‘If this is what it is, what’s next?’
I wanted to move forward quickly. I said, ‘Let’s go. Give me the treatment.’ Looking back, I was moving fast, like I was unstoppable. But chemotherapy was very difficult. I became weaker over time, and I had to reevaluate everything.”
“Did it take long to get a confirmed diagnosis?”
“Yes, it took about two weeks. Those two weeks were very intense.
When the doctor came to my bedside and said, ‘I’m so sorry, it’s cancer, and it’s stage four,’ that’s when I had my first real breakdown. I cried while speaking with my cousin on the phone.
It was one of the most vulnerable moments of my life.”
“What helped you get through that emotional period?”
“I had to rely on who I was before cancer. That mattered a lot. I leaned on my faith, my support system, and my ability to process things.
In that moment, I was searching for answers—medical, emotional, and spiritual. I needed something to ground me. I needed to know who I could call and what my next step was.
I also reached a point where I thought, ‘If I’m going to die, I need to stop preparing my funeral and start living.’ That changed my mindset.”
“How did you handle the idea of lung cancer without a smoking history?”
“At first, it was confusing. I wondered where this came from.
Later, I learned that my type of lung cancer was not related to smoking. It gave me an opportunity to reflect and heal emotionally and mentally—things from my past that I had never addressed before.
I realized I needed to be whole and clear in order for my treatment to work.”
“There’s also stigma around lung cancer. How did you deal with that?”
“I faced comments like, ‘Did you smoke?’ or ‘You must have been a smoker.’
At first, it was difficult. But I chose to turn it into a teaching moment. I would explain my diagnosis, my mutation, and make it clear that lung cancer is not only caused by smoking.
I also made it clear that I don’t judge anyone who smokes. I just needed people to understand my story.
That’s where my teaching background came in again—I used it to educate others and break the stigma.”