Donna Fernandez

The first time I quit treatments for my stage IV lung cancer was in 2013. I had been getting carboplatin, Avastin and Alimta. My tumors had shrunk by about half...

I have quite a few friends in the "dog world" who have gotten really involved in scent training. The dogs seem to really enjoy the sport and the owners love...

I’ve had what most would call an easy journey fighting lung cancer, especially compared to a lot of my friends. Only three times in 6-1/2 years has my boat been...

I am on a patient advisory board for my medical clinic. We decided to become part of Imerman Angels, a group that offers mentor support for cancer patients and caregivers...

While way too many diagnoses of lung cancer are being made among non-smokers, many of those diagnosed with the disease are current smokers. Hearing the words, “You have lung cancer,”...

I recently had the opportunity to serve on a patient advisory board with a pharmaceutical company. There were 13 patients at the meeting and several representatives from the pharma industry...

I recently read the following question (paraphrased): “I’ve been having some mental issues that are odd for me. I think it might be depression, but I don’t know. I feel...

We recently had a discussion on LungCancer.net’s Facebook page about ways to relax, despite our cancer diagnoses. There were many good ideas and I thought I would share some of...

Every one of us has been there. We’ve heard the words, “You have lung cancer.” And our world stopped. At least for a moment. And then, it began spinning, spinning...

When we are first diagnosed with lung cancer, it feels like our world has come collapsing down upon us. I guess in some ways, it has. The world we have...

It’s October. Is there anyone who does not know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month? I know that if I watched more television or kept up better with the...

In a previous article, I wrote about the importance of addressing dry mouth (xerostomia) and gave some suggestions for how the problem can be treated. Here, the discussion of oral...

Lung cancer isn't only a smoker's disease. I actually know more people who never smoked who have lung cancer than that did. Sadly, because even medical personnel too often believe...

There was a time when I thought that if you had cancer, especially late-stage cancer, you would be skin and bones. You would "look sick." Well, that certainly has not...

I am sitting on a plane that will take me from Tel Aviv, Israel to Warsaw, Poland with the ultimate destination for today, New York City. I have been in...

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recently ran a guest commentary about a 43-year-old non-smoker who was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an EGFR mutation. The...

I recently had a conversation with a representative from the American Lung Association (ALA) about what role they can play to better help lung cancer patients. During the conversation, I...

Editor's Note: Donna recalls booking and preparing for her trip to Israel while also managing stage IV lung cancer. It's getting real! Several months ago, I stepped out in faith...

Is there anyone who has ever received a cancer diagnosis that doesn't at one time or another have a fear of recurrence? I'm not much of a worrier, but I...

I recently listened to a very informative webinar on CancerCare.org entitled, "Mind-Body Techniques to Cope with the Stresses of Cancer." If you have the time to listen, I strongly recommend...