"I'm feeling great" Stanley, 72, states proudly. Stanley was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer 5 years ago after a trip to his family doctor for "a severe case of the flu." Stanley admits how lucky he was that the chest x-ray showed a mass in his chest, later confirmed to be cancer. Before his diagnosis, he walked two miles every morning and had no shortness of breath. He learned he had lung cancer for 8-10 years before his life saving trip to the doctor.
Stanley shared his diagnosis with his family, two sons and a daughter. His son in Sweden immediately started his research on cancer facilities. He told his father, "There's a research facility in Tampa and it's highly rated in the United States."
During his first visit, Stanley's surgeon discussed treatment options with Stanley and his son. The most aggressive treatment was being part of a clinical trial. Stanley stated the doctor probably explained exactly what a clinical trial was about but "I wasn't listening it's difficult to explain; when you're diagnosed with that, I happen to think there is a psychological change that takes place in a person and a lot of yourself…a lot of my self-confidence left me; it was an overwhelming task for me." Stanley's treatment included chemotherapy and surgery. About 8 months later he developed a 2nd primary cancer, which was removed. He has been disease free since that time.
Stanley recognizes that his care at Moffitt was "like having 20 doctors instead of one." "When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, I took it as a death sentence; it is not a death sentence; just make sure you've got the best people you can get working on you and they're not that far away."
Stanley says he would recommend a clinical trial to a family or friend who has cancer. He states, "If someone ever said to me what do you think of clinical trials, I would say go for it, especially if you've got the medical staff that are of the caliber that I have dealt with."
Stanley does not take life for granted. He has traveled to Europe, goes dancing two to three times a week and is scheduled to take a cruise later this year. "This whole thing has made me very much aware; I never realized it in all the years of my life how fragile life can be and it can be taken away just, well, just like that."
"I'm proud that I can do the things, in general, that I can do today; I can do work in the yard; I can play my bagpipes. Having had lung cancer, particularly the advanced stage that I had, I think that's pretty good."
Hear Stanley in his own words
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