Knocked in the Head
August 28 will be three years since I was knocked in the head! On that day while riding my bicycle I took a fall and suffered a severe concussion/moderate traumatic brain injury. My first memory three hours later was awaking in the hospital and being told that a CAT scan to my upper body to check for fractures uncovered an unrelated mass in my lung. I was 62 years old, a very healthy, avid and competitive runner, cyclist and triathlete with no symptoms of possible lung cancer. THAT FALL TURNED OUT TO BE A BLESSING.
Several weeks later I vividly recall the doctor saying "I'm sorry to tell you that you have advanced lung cancer". I was diagnosed with stage 3B non-small cell lung cancer. I thought, "how can that be. I can outrun and out bike many 25 year old's!" After several months of treatment with chemo and radiation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center my scan showed that I was NED.
I've been getting scanned every three months and continue to run and bike just as before I was KNOCKED IN THE HEAD. My life has changed. I now appreciate life, friends, family and every moment more intensely than ever. I do all I can to advocate for lung cancer funding and research and support others with lung cancer.
I share my story with other's so they don't need to get KNOCKED IN THE HEAD to appreciate and live life to the fullest.
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