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Category: Patient & Care Partner Stories

  • Patient Spotlight: Courtney Bloodworth & Leslie Trahan

    EDITORS NOTE: Sadly, Courtney Bloodworth passed away on April 21, 2023. She was a young wife and mother of two little boys. Her impact on our ALK+ community lives on along with her cherished memory.    Andy Trahan passed away on June 19, 2020.  He was Leslie’s husband and the father of 3 children.  He and…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Kirk Smith, Athens, GA

    Patient and lung cancer advocate Kirk Smith from Athens, GA talks to us about living (and thriving) with stage 4 lung cancer. Read on for an interview packed full of positive messages and advice from a long-term survivor. Can you share a little about your journey with lung cancer? My late grandfather used to tell…

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  • We are nothing without HOPE

    A Lung Cancer Advocate Perspective on Progress When I was first diagnosed, I felt alone and completely overwhelmed. The statistics of lung cancer were terrifying and I was struggling to move forward into such an uncertain and challenging future. Joining the ALK Positive support group changed everything for me. I was able to meet others…

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  • Care Partner Spotlight: Leslie Ardron

    Can you share a little about Vicky’s story and her path so far? Vicky was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in July 2017 at the age of 30. It took approximately 18 months for her to be diagnosed. She had persistent cough and breathlessness that antibiotics and inhalers did nothing for. She also had…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Bill Schuette

    Can you share a little about your journey with lung cancer?    In 2007, at age 59, I found myself sitting in a hospital cubicle at Cleveland Clinic with my wife and three adult children who had traveled from across the country to support me. The doctor’s words: “Bill, you have adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung…

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  • How to support a loved one diagnosed with cancer

    Few things in life are as devastating as a cancer diagnosis and many who are subjected to such a difficult experience go through a range of emotions as the things they could once do are slowly stripped away. Those responsible for caring for someone undergoing cancer treatment or palliative care for a terminal diagnosis need…

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  • Patient Spotlight: Jodi Garst Parker

    EDITORS NOTE: Sadly, Jodi Garst Parker passed away on May 8, 2021. She was a wife, mother, stepmother and grandmother.  Jodi was a nurse, and she used that knowledge to help others in our ALK + community    Can you tell us a few things about yourself? I’m Jodi Garst Parker, from Idaho Falls, Idaho. I’ve…

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  • Patient and Care Partner Spotlight: Living with hope

    Living with hope means different things to different people. Hope can come from any source and can take any form. Improved longevity and quality of life always seem to take center stage as sources of hope among our members, but so does spending precious time with family and loved ones. And then, there’s finding hope…

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  • “Whatever you do, don’t Google it”

    “Through sickness and in health” By Kevin & Meredith Minor (Click to Follow Their Cancer Journey Blog) Kevin and I got married February 16, 2019 in a beautiful Southern wedding. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day and it was easily the best day of my life. We had an amazing honeymoon in…

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  • Getting Involved: utilizing skills of our members

    Our ALK Positive Outreach for Advocacy utilizes the skills of our members to accomplish 100% of our efforts! ALK Positive Lung Cancer Survivor, Bill Westlake, is actively engaged in our advocacy efforts and serves as Outreach Treasurer. We have discovered that Bill has hidden talents in design and we are putting those skills to great…

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