Patient stories.
While none of us ever expected an oncogene-driven cancer diagnosis, our personal stories inform the medical, research and pharma community on the issues we face. They can also become someone else’s survival guide.
Please read and share our stories to help us advocate for more research. If you’ve been impacted by an oncogene lung cancer, get in touch to share your story. This could be the beacon of hope someone desperately needs.
Remember that medical science keeps marching forward at an increasingly rapid pace.
— Emily Walthall (R), living with stage IV, RET-positive lung cancer, with husband Elliott
Meet Amy.
Amy (3rd from left), with father, mother and sisters
In August 2015 on “GCSE results day,” when 16-year-olds across the UK receive results to major nationwide exams, Amy was out celebrating – like many other students her age. She had a small fall, injuring her rib. That small injury caused Amy pain on and off for the next few years. Investigation into this pain eventually led to Amy’s stage IV, ALK-positive lung cancer diagnosis in 2020, aged 20.
Meet Sally.
Sally, centre, living with ALK+ lung cancer since 2013
Sally, from Manchester, started noticing she was losing sight in her right eye. It turns out she had stage 4 ALK+ lung cancer that had spread to her eye. She credits her remarkable 10-year survival to medical research. But Sally quickly adds that more research is needed to find better and less toxic ways to treat ALK-positive lung cancer and brain metastases, find cancer earlier and ultimately a cure. Read her story.
Renu (left), living with ALK+ lung cancer, with wife Chloe.
Have you been affected by an oncogene cancer?
While none of us ever expected an oncogene-driven cancer diagnosis, our personal stories inform the medical, research and pharma community on the issues we face. Our stories can also become someone else’s survival guide.
Please get in touch to share your story. This could be the beacon of hope someone desperately needs.