Still Running: A Lung Cancer Survivor’s Story

If you lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, there are certain things you’ll never forget, like wearing masks and constantly washing your hands. For me, it was being told I had lung cancer.

It was the last thing I expected. I was a nonsmoking marathon runner who prioritized eating clean, healthy, mostly organic food, and always tried to take care of myself. I never allowed the use of chemicals on my lawn or chemical cleaners in my home. When I learned the diagnosis, I immediately thought of my husband and our children. And I worried, “Am I going to die? Am I going to leave three kids without a mother?” because you don’t know. But the truth is, there are a lot of tools to fight cancer today.

We live in Fairfield County, Conn., and we could have gone to hospitals in New York City. I also looked at Boston. But because of COVID-19, I decided to stay close to home. I chose Yale Cancer Center and Justin Blasberg, MD, MPH, a thoracic surgeon who is fantastic. Yale is a wonderful place, and I’m so lucky with the doctors I chose.

My cancer journey began at age 55 in August 2020 during the pandemic when, out of sheer boredom, I decided to clean my basement. I threw something heavy into a dumpster, and I tweaked what I thought was an abdominal muscle. But when the pain started waking me up at night, I knew I had to see a doctor. But no one wanted to go to the doctor then out of fear of germs. I finally went, and the doctor said, “I think it's a hernia, but let’s do a CT scan to check it out.”

I will never forget when he called me on a Friday around 5 p.m. Why was he calling me so late? He said, “Yeah, you’ve got a little hernia or an abdominal muscle tear, but there’s something on your lung that’s concerning.” It wasn’t massive, and they weren’t that worried. They did another scan, and when they got the results, they told me that I needed to find a thoracic surgeon because whatever it was had to come out.

We scheduled surgery at Smilow Cancer Hospital with Dr. Blasberg on Sept. 16. At this point, no one was using the ‘c’ word. We were just thinking that whatever it is, it must out. So, I went into surgery with three directives, the third being a lower right resection (surgically remove the cancer) just in case they found something scary. Unfortunately, during the surgery, they determined it was cancer. And while it was all removed, they sampled the lymph nodes in my thorax, and there were two microscopic lymph nodes that tested positive for cancer.

That’s why I had to go through four rounds of chemotherapy, starting in November 2020. My son—my youngest—was a senior in high school and was in the essay phase of applying for college. I had a lot of downtime in between chemo sessions and was able to help him with the applications. It was great to have something so positive to focus on. When I started chemo, it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t lose a lot of my hair.

At Yale, they really focus on helping you feel your best, and they will try to do everything they can during this time. And after chemo, you feel pretty bad—like the absolute worst hangover you've ever had for two or three days—and then you start to feel better. But you have to do it again in three weeks.

I was told I had Stage IIIA lung cancer, and you think, “That can’t be good.” Dr. Blasberg was correct in suspecting I had an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-positive mutation, which affects healthy, nonsmoking women my age. It’s believed to be environmental. He hoped I had that mutation because there’s sort of a miracle pill, Tagrisso (Osimertinib), you can take for three years. It inhibits the EGFR protein, which slows the growth and spread of cancer cells. I began taking it in March 2021 and finished in March 2024. I’m part of a huge group of people who are now taking it. Through friends, I’ve met two or three other women who have this cancer, and one of my closest friends went through this two years before me.

I have an incredible oncology team at Yale Cancer Center who are all amazing, including Sarah Goldberg, MD, MPH, who is fabulous. I don’t think she ever stops smiling and is so positive. I came through surgery with almost no pain and took a minimal amount of painkillers. I remember Dr. Goldberg asking me how I was, and I said, “I feel guilty because I shouldn’t feel this good.” And she said, “Don’t feel guilty.”

I just hit five years from my diagnosis. I still run, although not as much. I know it sounds cliché, but I try to live my life to the fullest. I’m going to India next year with friends. I’m at the age—60—where I’m grateful for everything I have, particularly a clean bill of health every nine months.

Jen Feenstra, a native of Scotland, is a retired graphic designer and art director who lives in Fairfield County, Conn., with her husband, Frank. They have two daughters, 30, 27, and a son, 22.