An avid runner and hiker, Grace never thought she would be someone who could get lung cancer, even though her father was diagnosed with the disease. Her family was surprised at her dad’s diagnosis and shocked when her mother received her own lung cancer diagnosis shortly after. At that point, Grace decided to get screened. They found a suspicious spot but assumed it was related to her asthma. It was too close to her heart to do a biopsy.
A few months later, Grace was training to climb Mt. Whitney on California’s San Gorgonio Mountain when it became harder and harder for her to catch her breath. First responders evacuated her by helicopter from the backcountry. When she reached the hospital, her healthcare team did another scan and saw that the spot on her lung had grown, so they decided to go ahead with a biopsy. The biopsy showed it was cancer, and they ended up removing her left lung’s upper lobe.
Grace grew up in Los Angeles. She is the youngest of 8 children, but none of her siblings have been diagnosed with lung cancer. Doctors can’t figure out why her father, mother, and she have had the disease. Grace wonders if it is from the smoggy Los Angeles environment or if it is genetic.
Despite her lung cancer diagnosis, Grace continues to be active. Within four months of her surgery, she was back to running marathons! Her thoracic surgeon told her that, typically, people who have that type of surgery don’t do strenuous activity for at least a year—but she was determined to continue running races.
Grace signed up to run the New York City marathon this November as part of GO2 for Lung Cancer’s endurance team. Incredibly, it will mark her 40th marathon.
Do you have a family history of lung cancer like Grace? If so, you may be able to help us discover the origins of inherited lung cancer. Learn more.
You, too, can participate with GO2 for Lung Cancer’s endurance team to help increase lung cancer survival by raising funds to support cutting-edge research, legislative advocacy, and patient support services through GO2 for Lung Cancer. How to join.
Amazing Grace!