Lung Cancer Survivor Offers Advice to the Newly Diagnosed

Lung cancer survivor Larry Whipple thought things were looking grim when he received a stage 3b lung cancer diagnosis in September 2017. But thanks to his insistence on a second opinion and the best care he could find, he’s cancer-free today and sharing some advice for others who have recently received a diagnosis of their own.

The most important thing, Whipple notes, is to seek out a second opinion and become your own best advocate. Identifying support groups and other organizations that offer information is a key next step, as well as having a positive outlook from the start.

Transcription:

First of all, make certain you get a second opinion and do not delay. If you’ve just been diagnosed, then you’re halfway there. Now it’s a question of making sure that the therapies that you are (going to receive) are best for you.

And there’s a ton of research, and there’s a ton of support groups. If you don’t have a laptop, get access to one so you can go online and study the things that are written by organizations such as CURE® or other support groups or organizations like the American Cancer Society. (This) at least gives you some sort of a knowledge base from which you can then operate and go forward.

And do not give up. One of my daughter-in-law’s closest friends, when she heard that I was diagnosed with cancer, she said, “Oh, I feel so sorry for cancer.” Because I’m a fighter and I don’t give up!