Michelle Schwarberg grew up in a family of cattle farmers, has 2 kids under 10, and works at her local library. And she has lung cancer.
The Kentucky native was diagnosed with the disease at age 34 shortly after the birth of her second child. Short of breath, she went to the doctor, who diagnosed her with a possible pulmonary embolism. She was sent for a CT scan. Instead of an embolism, they found massive amounts of fluid outside of her left lung—along with cells consistent with malignant lung cancer.
“From there, it snowballed. I had a PET scan and an MRI. They found two spots in my lower left lobe, some spots in lymph nodes in my chest, and two spots in my brain,” said Schwarberg. She also had genetic testing done on the biopsy and was diagnosed with an EGFR marker. Since then, she’s been on a once-a-day oral chemotherapy treatment.
Turning to Research for Answers
Fast forward a few years, and Schwarberg spotted a post about the Epidemiology of Young Lung Cancer (EoYLC) study on the Breath of Hope Kentucky Facebook group. It was the first lung cancer research study she’d ever heard of, and she jumped at the opportunity to participate.
EoYLC, a collaboration between the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) and GO2 for Lung Cancer, is specifically looking to identify common risk factors in patients diagnosed with lung cancer before age 40. Eligible participants provide a small blood sample and fill out a confidential online survey that asks about demographics, medical history, active and passive smoking history, early life exposures, and more.
Schwarberg said participation was easy. She emailed to learn more, and had a phone call with ALCMI staff to answer her questions, determine her eligibility, and get her set up to participate.
“They pretty much did everything,” Schwarberg explained. “The blood draw was easy because they sent someone to my house so I could schedule it conveniently.”
As for the survey? She described it as “a lot of lifestyle questions.” She added, “There were a series of surveys. They were a bit time-consuming—but I did it all in one sitting on a day when my kids were not here. Because there is not much quiet time with a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old.” It took her just over two hours to complete.
Schwarberg did one more thing immediately too: she grabbed the EoYLC Facebook frame to use on her profile. This prompted questions from coworkers interested in the survey and her story.
Turning to Research to Protect the Next Generation
Since participating in the EoYLC study, Schwarberg has reached out to others in her area to do a little bit more advocating for lung cancer awareness.
More immediately, she wants people to understand that research isn’t just important for her—it’s critical to get answers for future generations, including her two children.
“It is important to find as much information as possible as to why so many young people are getting lung cancer,” concluded Schwarberg. “We must try to help our kids and our future generations to maybe not have to worry about cancers.”
If you were diagnosed with lung cancer before age 40, we encourage you to find out more information and enroll in the currently recruiting Epidemiology of Young Lung Cancer study. To add the EoYLC Facebook Frame to your profile picture please visit the Facebook Profile Picture Center and search “Young Lung Cancer Study”.
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