A researcher in a lab looking at a tablet.

Category: Patient & Care Partner Stories

  • Honoring our Volunteers

    Our volunteers are our driving force. We could not have been where we are without them. The least we can do is honor and thank them for their contribution to the ALK Positive Support Group and ALK Positive, Inc. (our registered 501c3 nonprofit). Below is a list of all the people who are currently generously…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Debra Montague, Watchet, United Kingdom

    In this very interesting interview, Debra Montague, Chairman and Founder of ALK Positive UK (https://www.alkpositive.org.uk/), talks to us about starting and establishing the UK-based charity from the ground up, their advocacy efforts, their work on lessening treatment and testing disparities with other developed countries, and her future hopes and dreams for all ALK-positive patients in…

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  • The Caregiver Journey

    The Center for Disease Control (CDC) defines the caregiver as providing care to people who need some degree of ongoing assistance with everyday tasks on a daily basis. It is not surprising the CDC clarifies caregiving is a public health priority; noting the health of caregivers is at risk. Over the years, in conversation with…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Jamie Gibbard, Kent, United Kingdom

    Meet Jamie, one of our international group members and an active volunteer for ALK Positive. Jamie was interviewed about his journey with lung cancer, sharing how volunteering for a purpose that can improve outcomes for our members worldwide has helped him see his diagnosis in a different light. 1) Tell us a little about your…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Milestones after a stage IV diagnosis

    Featured: In this newsletter, we are celebrating milestones. A cancer diagnosis (even at stage IV), while devastating, can often open up new doors and lead patients to a new calling in life. We interviewed Shyreece who has written and published two books; Juanita who has become a foster parent together with her husband; and Cori…

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  • Fundraiser Spotlight Series

    EDITOR’S NOTE: Starting with this newsletter, we are launching a new “Fundraiser Spotlight Series”, featuring some of our top fundraisers in recent years. The idea is for members to get to know our fellow ALK members better and to get inspiration and ideas for how we, too, can fundraise for research through ALK Positive, Inc.…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Vangie Lim, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

    We interviewed member and fellow ALK patient, Vangie Lim, about her journey with lung cancer and her experience participating in a unique clinical trial that is currently only open in Australia. Vangie is also very active in advocacy and is the founder of The Evangeline Lim Lung Cancer Foundation, the first lung cancer nonprofit in…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Hanka Mosher, British Columbia, Canada

    Many ALK Positive members know Hanka Mosher through her Zoom yoga classes on ALKtALK. Did you know that Hanka is also an avid skier and passionate about health and wellness in general? We asked her about working her way back up to a good level of fitness following her diagnosis and lobectomy, and we picked…

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  • The two most surprising risk factors for lung cancer

    Worldwide about 2,100,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year. Approximately 85% of them have used tobacco products. Most are older and in poor health. It’s an insidious disease that few people survive long term.  However, in the last few decades, doctors have noticed a surprising uptick in younger, relatively healthy people with no…

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    ALK-positive clinical trials & interview with multi-clinical ALK trial participant, Hazel Senz

    Member Hazel Senz from Golden, CO shares her experiences from participating in multiple ALK clinical trials and how they have affected the course of her disease. Hazel Senz has been adjusting to the “new normal” of ALK-positive NSCLC for 6 years. She is out living life in Golden, Colorado, experimenting with new ways to enjoy…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Creating families after cancer

    Interviews with ALK Positive Members: Receiving a stage IV lung cancer diagnosis comes with a lot of decisions. If you are in your reproductive years (like many of our ALK-positive patients) but haven’t started one yet, there is one more big decision to make. Do you opt to start a family regardless? And if so,…

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  • Living your best life with lung cancer, a personal story

    Taking Control of My Legacy By Erika Hlavacek On September 29, 2017, I was diagnosed with Stage IV ALK Positive NSCLC. I was a 42 year old mom, former airline pilot, with a 9 year old daughter and a 7 year old son. I was physically in the best shape of my life and a…

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