My Time with Dr. Phil: Before the Show

It was probably the summer of 2016 when I received an email from Pfizer’s PR team. They had asked me if I would be interested in appearing on the Dr. Phil show to share my lung cancer story. At first, I thought the email was fake, and I had to read it several times before it clicked. I was shocked but so happy that they asked me to appear on the Dr. Phil show. I couldn’t believe it. Of course, I replied with, “hell yes!”

Getting ready for the show

I was told the taping would take place in October and then air in November for Lung Cancer Awareness Month. So - the process began.

I had to get everything ready. There were a lot of emails going back and forth and a lot of paperwork to fill out and sign. I had lots of telephone calls leading up to October.

I couldn't believe I was going to be on TV!

I was so excited. I just couldn’t believe I was going to appear on the Dr. Phil show. They even went as far as paying for my husband to go with me.

Getting in early to see the sights

We actually went a few days earlier, and my husband and I were able to do lots of sightseeing.

Relaxing at the beach

One of my favorite days was spending the afternoon on the Santa Monica beach, just to sit there and enjoy the sounds of the waves. It was very relaxing and therapeutic.

Seeing my old doctor

My former oncologist had retired and moved to LA to teach at City of Hope, so I gave him a call, and we met up for dinner. It was so good to see him and to let him know that because of him, I’m surviving.

They wanted to air parts of my lung cancer vlog!

But before I arrived, they asked me if I had pictures and videos that I could share with them. I told Dr. Phil’s people I had a video blog that my husband started from day one, and it was my lung cancer journey. So my husband sends them all the videos and photos of me. If you look up “living with lung cancer after treatment” on YouTube, you’ll see the segment, and you’ll see the photos and videos they used.

Prep day #2: Recording my story

When I got there, the first thing I had to do was go to the studio and start prepping. Once I got there, I changed to something that was more suitable for video. There was a makeup artist waiting for me to do my makeup and a hair stylist; I truly did feel like a celebrity. Once that was done, I went into the studio to start recording my story of living with lung cancer. It was a long day, but oh my goodness, it was so worth it.

Some more sightseeing before my Dr. Phil debut

Once the recording was done, my husband and I had a few days to rest up before the taping. So we went to Universal Studios, went to go see the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visited the TCL Chinese Theatre, and even went to the Hollywood Wax Museum. We also walked around downtown LA. We even went to go see the famous Sixth Street Viaduct, where many movies have been filmed.