Rina A. grew up on a corn farm in Nebraska and now lives in Debary, FL, with her soulmate and husband, John. She has worked at Stetson University for 20 years and is currently the presidential liaison for philanthropic and strategic partnerships for the university.

Her son, Michey, grew up in Orlando, FL, and now resides in Washington, D.C., where he serves as a senior government affairs policy professional at Revvity, a leading life sciences and diagnostics company. He is an American University graduate and is also an avid Orlando Magic basketball fan.

In September 2023, Rina Arroyo was recovering from a rough case of COVID-19 when she began to feel that something just wasn’t right. The cough lingered, and her lungs crackled at night with a sound “like a fireplace.” At first, doctors diagnosed her with long COVID, but Rina knew deep down that there was something more.

After persistent follow-up, a compassionate nurse practitioner finally took her concerns seriously and promised Rina that she would help her find out what was wrong. In February 2024, a CT scan and biopsy revealed the news: metastatic adenocarcinoma consistent with a pulmonary origin—stage 4 (IV) lung cancer.

That night, she had what she describes as “a dark night of the soul,” but by the next morning, she resolved that the only thing she could control was her mindset. She turned to meditation, faith, and a 200-hour course rooted in neuroscience and healing. “I decided that with the help of my healing collaborators, including my doctors and medicine, I would live.”

That clarity deepened when she met with her oncologist and nurse navigator. Based on her profile—someone who had never smoked and was otherwise healthy—her oncologist suspected a genetic driver. He told her about targeted therapies that work for many patients with specific mutations. “I looked at him and said, ‘I know I have a genetic mutation. And I know I will be healed.’”

She was right. Genetic testing confirmed the presence of a RET mutation, a rare but targetable biomarker in lung cancer. The cancer had spread throughout her lymph nodes, lungs, and spine, and there were some spots in her hips and knees. By April 2024, she began taking Retevmo (selpercatinib), a targeted therapy approved for RET+ lung cancer. Within just 1 day, an affected lymph node began to shrink. Soon after, her lungs stopped crackling. Her body began to heal.

By September 17, 2024, exactly 8 months after first seeing the term “metastatic” in her patient portal, her scans showed no evidence of disease in her lungs or lymph nodes, and the large tumors in her spine were almost completely healed. “I felt lucky,” she says. “And I don’t take that for granted.”

Advocacy as a calling

Rina could have stopped there. Instead, with the help of her son Michey, she turned her recovery into a mission.

When Rina told Michey about her diagnosis, he immediately responded: “You’re not alone. You need to find your people.” Michey works in government affairs at a life sciences and diagnostics company that works with rare diseases and has seen firsthand the power of patient advocacy. Together, they connected with GO2 for Lung Cancer and traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Lung Cancer Voices Summit in early 2025.

On Capitol Hill, Rina and Michey met with their congressional offices to advocate for lung cancer research funding, access to genomic testing, and better legislation for patients. Their approach was a balance of heart and strategy. Rina shared her personal journey with grace and hope, while Michey used his policy expertise to speak directly to the legislative challenges they faced—including the impact of tariffs, federal funding cuts, and lack of insurance coverage for genomic sequencing.

“Genetic testing is the next frontier of science. It’s how we’re going to find, treat, and cure diseases that were once considered untreatable. But if the testing isn’t covered, you can’t know what treatment is right for you,” Michey explains.

Together, Rina and Michey made a compelling case for continued investment in research. “I am only able to benefit from Retevmo (selpercatinib) because the investment was once made in the research that discovered it,” Rina says. “I want that same experience for everyone facing a lung cancer diagnosis. I also hope for a continued investment in the treatments I might need if this drug stops working for me. That isn’t political. It’s human.”

“We also have to learn to speak the language of the current administration,” Michey said. “They care a lot about fiscal responsibility and chronic diseases. I made the case that lung cancer is itself a chronic disease these days, and treating it as such represents an opportunity to cut long-term costs and ‘make America healthy.’ Cancer isn’t a death sentence anymore. And we need to treat it that way.”

For Rina, the Voices Summit was her first time meeting other people with lung cancer. It was also the first time she spoke publicly about her diagnosis. “It changed my life in such a powerful way,” she says. “I wasn’t alone anymore.”

They left Washington energized and determined to continue the work—keeping in touch with their officials, meeting with local offices, staying active with the RET Renegades community, and helping raise awareness however they could. “It gives me so much courage to have Michey with me,” Rina says. “We make a great team.”

The power of support

Behind Rina’s strength is a powerful circle of support. Her family, including Michey, her husband, parents, and other relatives, rallied around her from the beginning. Her workplace, too, stepped up in remarkable ways. As a university administrator, Rina was open with a small circle of close colleagues and found unwavering encouragement from her president, senior leadership team, and trusted friends.

“They were my coaches on the mind journey,” she said. “They helped me keep going when I was afraid. They let me lead with my intuition and reminded me that I was still me, not just a diagnosis.”

One of her mentors gave her the advice that helped shift everything: “The only thing you can control is your journey. So own your effing journey, girl.”

Rina took that advice to heart. She embraced her emotions, stayed grounded in gratitude, and made a conscious decision not to let cancer define her. “I didn’t want to become the disease. I needed to stay healthy in my mind.” One dear friend greeted her every morning on WhatsApp with a positive inspiration for each day. “She never let me doubt that I was healed—from day 1.”

Michey also tried to see the opportunity in his mom’s diagnosis. “We were so scared at first, of course, but those emotions spur growth. We all face difficult things in life; it’s how you react that tells you who you are.”

Advice to others

For others facing a lung cancer diagnosis, Rina urges them to “be your own advocate. Listen to your body. Ask for biomarker testing. And take care of your mind the same way you care for your body. It matters.”

She also urges lawmakers and medical systems to recognize the urgency of timely diagnoses and access to genomic profiling. She recently lost a friend with stage 4 (IV) lung cancer who was not able to get the testing she needed in time. “That’s why I am becoming a lung cancer advocate,” Rina said. “So everyone has a chance at their own miracle pill.”

Because, as she puts it, “You can’t always control what happens. But you can always own your response to it.”