Jan Marie has many passions, a self-described former workaholic, she and her husband ride motorcycles, raise dogs, and look forward to taking a honeymoon, but they have had a tumultuous year. In February, Jan Marie began having shoulder pain, thinking her 75 lb "puppy" may have caused the injury, she visited a walk-in clinic. The next thing she knew she was having x-rays and a CAT scan at the local hospital. Then the diagnosis came — lung cancer.
"We were just numb, I'm 42 years old, how does that happen?" She and then fiancé Jeff said at first they cried for a week, but then called a relative who told them to look for a Comprehensive Cancer Center. That led them to find Moffitt where they learned of a clinical trial she would qualify for.
While they were waiting to begin the trial at Moffitt, Jan Marie had radiation at a local oncologist's office. Jan Marie shudders while recalling the encounter, "She never looked at us; she opened up my file started reading and asked a couple of questions and basically flat out said there's no hope; you might as well get your affairs in order…you have lung cancer and there is no cure; we were devastated…I can cry just thinking about the day and we walked out of there and never went back."
Jan Marie says the word chemo is scary but she and Jeff felt facing the treatment as a couple might reduce some of the fear. They were married May 3rd, they rode their motorcycles home from the wedding. But the honeymoon would have to wait — she started chemo May 5th.
Although Jan Marie and Jeff are in the middle of the cancer experience, so far, she is doing well and feeling great. "If I survive lung cancer, you can tattoo it on my back side for all I care but there definitely should be more support." She says her new husband had been "her rock" and worries things have been harder on him than they have for her. "I think having lung cancer is so much easier than being the caregiver of someone who has lung cancer." The couple has made their own support group not only through the bond they have with each other, but also with family, friends and even their motorcycle group.
Jan Marie and Jeff have their passports in hand, waiting for the chance to take their honeymoon. In the meantime, Jan says, "Keep the clinical trials coming, mine's almost done and I'm going to need to look for another one pretty soon; I want to make sure there's plenty out there to pick from."
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