Starting in the early fall of 2025, I started coughing up blood and feeling tired. I went into urgent care for treatment and was told that it was pneumonia. I didn't get better. I went back in, and they found a large mass on my right lung. They believed that it was from an autoimmune disease. After a biopsy showed abnormal cells, they removed the tumor that, with its placement, made them take over a third of my right lung. I was officially diagnosed with pT2a, Stage 2 lung cancer. I have insurance, but they have denied two of my hospital admissions alongside paying very little of all my medical testing and treatments.

While the surgery was successful in removing all signs of cancer and I'm grateful for living through this, I want to move forward as soon as possible and live life to the fullest during the surveillance period of my cancer journey. While I can't claim that I'm cured for another five years and have to live with my new normal, I'm thankful to everyone who has supported me during this crazy time.