A Serious Car Accident May Have Saved My Life

I was in a horrible car accident in December 2021. I suffered 4 broken ribs and a fractured sternum; which, according to the Trauma Surgeon treating me,'it takes an incredible amount of force to fracture a sternum'.

A visit to the urologist

On a visit with my Urologist, she pointed out that if not for my car accident, they might not have found the nodule on my left lung. Pet scans confirmed - it is SCLC. They caught it early as part of the imaging they did on me at the trauma center in the hospital I was taken to.

I was referred to a Pulmonologist who ordered the Pet scan - and called me that day to tell me I had lung cancer. The subsequent biopsy determined that it was SCLC. I had a funny conversation with my Pulmonologist who pointed out that I had smoked for over 40 years. I replied 'But I quit 6.5 years ago. He reiterated, 'BUT... you smoked for over 40 years.' We both burst out laughing. If it weren't such a serious topic, it would have been really funny.

My treatment journey

So - I was hooked up with my Oncologist - and I'm getting radiation (34 treatments) and four cycles of platinum based chemo.

My LAST chemo treatment is tomorrow (7/8/22) and I have radiation tomorrow as well and two more treatments early next week.

THEN - I'll find out what comes next for me. My Urologist made me realize that if not for my head-on car accident, I probably wouldn't have known I had SCLC until it was much further along. It's so important to have doctors you trust and like (personally).

Wishing everyone good luck

Good luck, everyone. I know I'm not alone in this, but want to lend my voice to support anyone going through any cancer treatment. We're all members of a team we didn't ask to join. Love you all - stay strong!!!

After my accident, it was a road to recovery. The EMT told me my seatbelt saved my life - and the police officer told me I was lucky to be alive at all. As it turns out - they were both correct.

Inspired by this story and want to share your story? Click the button below to below to share your story today!