Lung Cancer Patient Stories

My experience at Fox Chase Cancer Center began during my retirement, a time when most people look forward to relaxing and pursuing hobbies.

I was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015.

At 76, I’m in my 27th year as the pastor of Saint Christopher Church, a Roman Catholic parish in Northeast Philadelphia. Recently, you might say I had an experience of biblical proportions.

My cancer journey began in late 2021 when I began experiencing feelings of sickness, most often after eating. One night in February 2022, however, it became clear food was not the issue.

I’m the kind of guy who can sleep anytime, anywhere, so when the pain in my abdomen got so bad that I couldn’t sleep, I finally told my wife I needed to go to the ER. The doctors there did some testing and scans, but all they found was an infection, so they gave me an IV and antibiotics. After a few days, when I felt better, they sent me home.

In 2021, I started having pain in my left leg. I visited my family doctor, and at first we thought it might be a deep vein thrombosis. When we ruled that out, I saw a vascular doctor in case it might be varicose veins. That doctor had me get an MRI, and after those results came back, I had to get a biopsy. That’s when the doctors confirmed that I had a stage IV tumor in my leg.