Survivor Spotlight: Roy W.

My name is Roy Williams III and I live in the St. Louis, Mo area. My wife Mary and I have six children in our blended family and four grandchildren.

In 2013, when I was 64, I developed an upper respiratory infection. I went to my primary care physician who treated me with antibiotics and most of the symptoms subsided except for a persistent cough. I went back to the doctor another time or two about the cough and finally he told me he wanted me to get a chest x-ray. I scoffed, but he proceeded to tell me that he had five patients with lung cancer with backgrounds and ages similar to mine. I immediately went and had my x-ray!

The first x-ray showed a spot in the bottom lobe of my right lung and a second x-ray a couple of weeks later showed spots in both lungs. The next step was a CT scan which confirmed there was just a spot in my right lung. A later PET scan further confirmed that. Then a biopsy was done; I had stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer. I thank my primary care physician for saving my life every time I see him.

A young thoracic surgeon did a relatively new type of surgery called Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) which allows the surgeon to operate without cracking your chest open. The surgeon removed the bottom third of my right lung and the cancer with it. He also removed 15 lymph nodes and had them checked for signs of cancer. As luck would have it, there were no signs that the cancer had spread anywhere else. This meant that I did not need any chemotherapy or radiation which makes me about the luckiest lung cancer patient ever. I get CT scans every year and so far, they have all been clear.

Although I am the Board Chairman of a small not-for-profit focused on lung cancer here in St. Louis, I got involved with GO2 for Lung Cancer for a couple of reasons. I like the fact that they are national in scope and have considerable resources. During their recent Lung Cancer Voices Summit, 185 lung cancer advocates, including myself, had phone calls with our state Representatives and Senators. The purpose of our advocacy was to restore funding levels for the national Lung Cancer Research Program administered by the Department of Defense. The level was originally set at $20 million a year in 2009 but over time was cut to as low as $10-$14 million. Due to those calls, it looks like we are on our way to getting the full funding of $20 million. GO2 for Lung Cancer set it all up and made it possible for us to attend those virtual meetings. I am also a “Phone Buddy” for the organization. GO2 for Lung Cancer pairs me with newly diagnosed stage 1 patients who can call me to talk about their situation—as someone who can relate.

My advice to those who have been diagnosed with lung cancer is:

1. Do not go to the internet to learn about lung cancer until you know the type and stage of your cancer. And even then, be selective about what you read. You will be frightened by some of the things you will read when they may not even pertain to you. There is also misinformation on the internet.
2. Be prepared to feel lonely for a while. Even though you may be surrounded by family and loved ones, when you are told you have cancer you realize that it is you that has it, no one else.
3. Be positive! Convince yourself that you will survive this. Get your loved ones to believe it as well. Do not talk to any negative people. People who have a positive outlook survive illnesses more often and more quickly.