This is the story of Frances, but it is really about Frances and Larry. They are a team in marriage and in life, and that includes lung cancer. Their expanded support team includes three children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Frances,age 71, was diagnosed a couple of years ago.She told the doctor he was wrong when he estimated she had 7-8 months to live, and time has proven her right. Her response was the start of her unshakably positive attitude toward her prognosis. Sure, she and Larry were devastated, and they even shared a few crying sessions together. When she first heard she had lung cancer, she said, her first question was: "Do you think I will see Christmas?"
That was two years and two Christmases ago. During that time she found a mission and she became focused. "She was so positive," Larry says. "She was convinced she was gonna beat it." Frances' family has a history of heart disease, and she always thought that would be the health problem she needed to worry about.
Before finding out about H.Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Frances and Larry thought clinical trials meant she might not get real medicine -- just a placebo, which is a common belief among cancer patients. The first thing Frances saw when she arrived at Moffitt was the sign in the lobby that says, "The end of cancer begins here." "When I saw that I felt relieved," she says. "I know that seems strange, but I felt relieved."
The health care team laid out a treatment plan that offered a clinical trial as one option for her. "I never felt like I was part of an experiment." She and Larry felt an immediate connection to the staff and a high comfort level with Moffitt. "They explained the medicine in detail," says Frances. Larry adds, "They do everything they can to make it all as painless as possible."
Frances and Larry are patient advocates at Moffitt and strong proponents of clinical trials. "You don't hear about lung cancer like you do for other kinds of cancers. We need more people to participate in research," Larry says. Research and patient advocacy have advanced and improved the treatment of other cancers like breast and prostate cancers.
Frances and Larry are using their experience to educate everyone who will listen about research and clinical trials. They want early detection tests for lung cancer to be covered by insurance like mammograms are for breast cancer. "I've done great on a clinical trial, I recommend it," Frances says emphatically.
Shortly before she was diagnosed, she nonchalantly told a reporter at a golf tournament, "Today is great, I am above ground." She's not one to be flip, and at the time she didn't ever imagine she would be in cancer treatment a few months later. But, her positive attitude has given her strength during the challenging time that followed. "Being afraid is part of it," Larry says, "but just think about what you can do, not just for yourself but for other people too. That's the key -- we have to get that message across."
<< previous story | next story >>
