Viann is a 49 year old wife and mother to 3 beautiful children. She was teaching first grade when she first noticed her symptom — persistent cough, misdiagnosed as a sinus infection. Viann later had a chest x-ray showing a spot on her lung, which warranted further testing. Viann recalls that day in February of 2006 when she received the news she had lung cancer, "Well, that was a day everything just stood still, what was one time the floor seemed to be the ceiling; my whole world just went upside down." Additional testing indicated Viann had stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain, her sternum and her back. "We went from that point on. I just said to myself it's about attitude; I have to choose my attitude; I have to be strong; I have to be a survivor." Viann's positive attitude and unwavering spirit stems from sage advice she got from her father's mother, Nani. "She was a wonderful spirit and she never let anything bother her; she used to say don't worry about anything; pray about everything."
When faced with her diagnosis and treatment plan, Viann felt she had a choice. "It was a feeling that ultimately I could control; I could do one of two things, bury my head and cry and wait until the day came that I wouldn't be on the earth anymore or I could stand up and fight and I decided I was going to stand up and fight. This is not my time to go and I told my oncologist I may be little in size but I'm a warrior and I will do whatever it takes."
Viann was willing to participate in a clinical trial, not only to help herself but to help others. Viann and her family were very knowledgeable about clinical trials and the advancements made as a result. "It felt like it would've been a wonderful decision for me," Viann recalls. However, Viann states, "my cancer was at the worst stage that cancer could be and I was unable to participate in any of the clinical trials. I want to say thank you to all the people who did participate, because of them I'm now on this new drug and its working miracles."
Viann wants people to understand, "lung cancer shouldn't come with the social stigma that only smokers are affected. It is not a disease someone brought upon themselves by smoking cigarettes. I feel it is important for people to understand the fallacies of this stigma; if you say I have lung cancer, I don't want them right away to associate nor assume I did this to myself. I did not smoke cigarettes, yet I got lung cancer…" Viann wants people to recognize that environment, genetics and other factors can play a role. This is why research is so important.
Viann's father, the honorable Elvin L. Martinez, was a state legislator for over 30 years. Viann remembers over two and a half decades ago the legislator passed bills to have a cancer research center at USF. He said it was going to be a place of hope and miracles where they were going to cure cancer. Viann reflects, "Two and a half decades later, I'm there."
Today Viann feels wonderful, "I feel happy; I know that I'm a survivor and thanks to Moffitt, I have a future. When I was first diagnosed, my son was a sophomore in high school. I wanted to be alive to see him graduate. I saw him graduate as vice president of his class. I have faith this disease will be curable and I believe my future is going to be brilliant."
Hear Viann in her own words
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