Michelle knew what was wrong. She knew the headaches, regular vomiting, ear popping, and “whooshing” sounds in her head were all signs of leptomeningeal disease (LMD). The issue, however, is that LMD is so rare—only diagnosed in 5% of people with cancer—she had to advocate for the testing to prove it.

“I called my clinic and said I needed a brain MRI because I think I have LMD. They didn’t want to schedule one, so I said, tell my doctor I’m demanding a brain MRI. I can tell him directly if I need to,” says Michelle.

Rasheed Marshall understands the secondhand effects of cancer well. First his mom, Joycelyn, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995. It came back in 2015 and eventually metastasized (spread) to her lungs. Soon after, his brother-in-law Romain was diagnosed with brain cancer. They both passed away the same week. 

Read time: 3 minutes

It’s been nearly a decade since Frank Sierawski was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in his 30s. The Sierawski family—including Frank, his wife Kathryn, and their three kids—all experienced his diagnosis, treatment, and remission in different ways.

Meet Dr. Sydney Barned, a lung cancer survivor-advocate from Jamaica who currently lives in Maryland.

Sydney draws upon her unique experience as a physician and as a person living with lung cancer to help empower lung cancer patients and caregivers and to educate fellow healthcare providers and the public about the realities of lung cancer. 

Sydney is a doctor of internal medicine and a hospitalist. She was 33 years old and beginning her medical residency when she was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in February 2017.

In the spring of 2021, Myra’s husband Kelvin had COVID-19. After, he had a lingering cough and shortness of breath. His chest hurt a bit when he breathed. They assumed it was pneumonia or at least COVID-related. They never guessed it would be lung cancer.

Myra’s sister is a nurse, and she urged them to get an x-ray. They went to urgent care. After reviewing the scan, the doctor told them, “I can’t let you go home. You need to go to the emergency department and get a CAT scan right now. I can’t tell what this is. I can only tell you what I see.”

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We are collecting stories from patients, caregivers, friends, and family members! Tell us how lung cancer has affected your life. Email your story to us at support@lungevity.org. Thanks!