Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Michelle’s Story
May 6, 2026
Michelle Bos-Lun is a third term state representative in the Vermont General Assembly. She lives in Westminster with her husband. She has 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren. Michelle is an enthusiastic vegan cook and baker, a mushroom forager, a hiker, and an advocate for lung cancer.
When Michelle returned home from a trip to Nepal last year, she soon found herself unable to get out of bed. At first, she thought she had jet lag, but when her symptoms worsened, she ended up in the hospital.
What followed was a whirlwind of tests and uncertainty that led to a diagnosis she hadn’t expected: scrub typhus, a rare and potentially life-threatening infection she had contracted while traveling.
But the story didn’t end there. In the process of trying to understand why she was so sick, doctors ordered a chest X-ray and saw something there that they couldn’t explain.
Three weeks and even more tests later, Michelle received a second surprising diagnosis: lung cancer.
A diagnosis she never expected
Like so many others, lung cancer wasn’t something Michelle imagined would happen to her until it did.
“Before my diagnosis, I knew of one person who had lung cancer without a smoking history,” she said. “So, while I knew it was possible, it didn’t seem at all likely. But lots of people aren’t good candidates for lung cancer, and yet it still finds us.”
Still, even in the face of a stage 3B (IIIB) diagnosis, her reaction was not what many might expect.
“I’m pretty pragmatic about things,” she said. “When something comes up, I want to learn all about it and figure out what I can do to have the best results with a situation that isn’t ideal.”
That instinct to learn, adapt, and move forward has shaped everything that’s followed
“I won the lottery”
After her initial diagnosis, Michelle entered a waiting period, one filled with a lot of questions, but few clear answers. Her oncologist couldn’t yet tell her what kind of lung cancer she had or how it would be treated. The outlook he shared at that point was sobering.
But there was one 1 possibility that offered hope, and that was a genetic mutation.
Her doctor told her, “If you have a mutation, there are some really good targeted therapies.”
Two weeks later, the call came. Michelle had ALK-positive lung cancer.
“He told me I won the lottery,” she said. “I had the best one with the best treatment.”
Within days of starting the targeted therapy, Lorbrena (loralatinib), her persistent cough, which was her only noticeable symptom, had disappeared. A few months later, her first scan showed her cancer had been reduced by nearly 50%.
“My doctor actually said, ‘This is even better than I would have expected,’” Michelle said.
A whole-person approach
From the beginning, Michelle approached her diagnosis the same way she has approached much of her life by integrating different perspectives, experiences, and tools. Having spent part of her adolescence in Taiwan, and as a long-practicing Buddhist, she was already comfortable holding multiple ways of thinking at once.
“My life has been a mixture of East and West since I was 12,” she said. “So, when I got cancer, it made sense to include a variety of different resources and approaches.”
Her treatment plan reflects that. Alongside her targeted therapy, Michelle has built a daily routine that supports her body in other ways:
- Tai Chi twice a day to improve circulation and manage neuropathy
- Walking several miles each day
- Weekly acupuncture
- Regular lymphatic massage
- A nutrient-dense, plant-based diet including daily kale smoothies, large salads, and roasted vegetables with whole grains
“I feel as healthy as I’ve ever been. Except I have cancer,” she said.
It’s a paradox she doesn’t shy away from. And it’s one she’s actively working to sustain.
“The lorlatinib gets credit for 75% of my healing, and my kale smoothies get the other 25%,” she joked.
Choosing hope—on purpose
Michelle is quick to acknowledge that everyone responds to a diagnosis differently. But for her, hope is not something she has to force; it’s something she naturally gravitates toward.
“I think you can choose to look at the hardest parts, or you can look at the possible good outcomes,” she said. “For me, it’s more satisfying to look at the positive. I try to find the best-case scenarios and aim for those.”
Even before her diagnosis was confirmed, she made a conscious choice not to dwell in pessimism.
“Before my lung biopsy, I thought, I don’t think it’s very likely that this is lung cancer, so I’m not going to worry about it,” she said. “And then when it turned out to be cancer, I said, ‘Okay, so when can we figure out how to treat this?’ I could have spent that time scared, but being scared wouldn’t have changed the outcome, only how I experienced the time leading up to it. That’s sort of how I approach everything.”
Finding community and perspective
Like many people diagnosed with a biomarker-driven form of lung cancer, Michelle quickly found community among others living with ALK-positive disease.
“I feel like I’ve been welcomed into this club that none of us wanted to join,” she said. “But since we’re here, we’re there for each other.”
Through that community, she found not only information, but perspective, including examples of people living 10, 15, even 20 years after diagnosis. Their stories helped her understand the full range of what’s possible and where she might fit within it.
“Somebody would say, ‘my husband is 21 years out’, and I thought, what? We can live 21 years with this? Knowing that some people can live quite a long time made me feel like, okay, then I can make it too,” she said.
Not waiting anymore
If there is 1 theme that runs through Michelle’s story, it’s this: don’t wait.
After her diagnosis, she began thinking about the people she hadn’t seen in years and the friendships that had drifted with time and distance. She immediately set out to rectify that. Her first trip was to reconnect with a close friend she hadn’t seen in decades.
“I just thought, I don’t want to wait,” she said. “Why did I already wait 30 years? I’m not doing that again.”
Now, her “bucket list” isn’t about places; it’s about people – reunions, visits, and time spent together.
“I hope I’m going to be around for a long time,” she said. “But in case I’m not, I don’t want to wait to spend time with the people who matter most to me. I want to see them now.”
Turning experience into action
As a state legislator in Vermont, Michelle already had a platform. After her diagnosis, she chose to use it in a new way. From the very beginning, she has spoken publicly about her experiences, using them as an opportunity to raise awareness about lung cancer, and especially the importance of early detection.
“I thought, maybe I can help somebody else,” she said. “If I can help educate someone, then go ahead, use my story.”
After her story appeared on the front page of her local paper, she learned that at least two people went to their doctors to ask for chest X-rays. For Michelle, that was enough.
“That’s the whole point,” she said.
She is also working to connect her personal experience with broader public health efforts, including initiatives that emphasize nutrition as a core component of care.
“When people eat healthy food, it helps keep them healthy,” she said. “I’m a living example of that.”
Moving forward
Less than a year into her diagnosis, Michelle’s life looks both familiar and entirely new. She is still working, still advocating, and still showing up for her family.
But she is also living with a deeper sense of urgency and intention.
“When you get lemons, make lemonade,” she said. “Well, I’m making some lemonade.”
Only in Michelle’s case, it’s likely organic, and paired with a kale smoothie.
A lung cancer diagnosis can bring a lot of questions, emotions, and uncertainty. GO2 for Lung Cancer’s free HelpLine connects you with trained specialists who can provide support, answer questions, and help you find resources along the way. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, in treatment, or navigating survivorship, you don’t have to face it alone.
Call us at 1-800-298-2436 or email support@go2.org to learn more.