My name is Marianne Gordon. In 2008, at 41 years old, I was rushed to the emergency room after passing out due to a collapsed lung. I had been seeing my doctor prior to this because my blood pressure kept mysteriously dropping which was attributed to some sort of heart condition. Once I was seen in the ER, doctors discovered that I had small cell lung cancer (SCLC).  A six centimeter tumor was pressing on my heart, causing my symptoms.

Since my diagnosis, I have been in treatment except for a two-year break. I have been on my current treatment plan for almost two and a half years and am doing well. Throughout my journey I have leaned on my faith to hold on to hope, grace and love. Humor has also always helped me stay positive. Making others laugh or helping others lifts me up; it is empowering to feel useful.

One time, I scratched out “terminal” cancer on my chart and my doctor asked, “What are you doing?”

I said, “I’m scratching out ‘terminal’ and putting ‘chronic’ instead!”

Advice I would give to someone newly diagnosed is to “doctor shop.” During the second year of my SCLC journey, I changed doctors and found my current doctor, who is the head of the tumor board and was an answer to my prayers. He decided to do radiation on my adrenal tumor and then surgery, which was not very common back then. Getting a second opinion is so important to make sure you’re able to weigh all your options. I would also recommend finding support, such as people from your family, church, or book club– it doesn’t matter where you find them, but you need close friends who you can call in the middle of the night. At church, before my diagnosis, I was known as Lucy’s daughter because I didn’t interact with people much. Now my mother is known as Marianne’s mother!

My final piece of advice is don’t pay too much attention to the statistics. My doctor said I had a 5% survival rate, so I focused on traveling with my daughter and making memories with her. That was 13 years ago. Don’t go crazy with your finances because you could live a very long time! You are going to have good days and bad days. There will be days when you may panic. It’s okay. You don’t always have to be positive; you just have to rely on the supportive people in your life.