Lung cancer survivor encourages others to get screened

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time to share stories and remind people of the importance of early screening.

A Northern Michigan woman is living proof that it’s important to have lung cancer on your medical radar, even if you’ve never smoked.

“So I really love volunteering. There’s nothing more fulfilling,” said Mary Beth Morrison, a lung cancer survivor.

And if former Munson employee Mary Beth Morrison is here, she’s moving.

“We get a lot of steps in. We walk about four miles in a four-hour shift,” Morrison said.

That’s impressive in itself, but perhaps even more so when you consider that she’s still doing it a year after her lung was removed.

“I was diagnosed with lung cancer, an adenocarcinoma. It was an incidental finding,” Morrison said.

A relatively routine X-ray ordered by her doctor showed something that was wrong.

“It showed a lump in my right lung, about two and a half inches, which is about an inch. So not small,” Morrison said.

Further investigation led to an unexpected diagnosis.

“Lung cancer was definitely not on my radar,” Morrison said. “I’m in my mid-60s. I’m healthy. I’m active; non-smoker. And it didn’t even occur to me that lung cancer — because I was asymptomatic — would ever have been something I would have faced.”

That is a fairly common feeling: 20% of lung cancer patients do not smoke.

It’s not on everyone’s radar.

But experts, like the surgeon who performed Morrison’s lobectomy, say it should be.

“The problem with lung cancer is that it often doesn’t cause any symptoms until it’s too late to actually be treated,” says Dr. Shelly Lall, MD.

“So that’s why the screening is important to get done faster and find out at an earlier stage when we can do something about it,” said Dr. Lall.

Morrison’s fortunate discovery through her GP caught her cancer early.

And the skilled hands of Dr. Lall addressed it within weeks of diagnosis.

“Lung cancer has four stages,” said Dr. Lall. ‘The first stage is the earliest stage and is usually treated with surgery or radiation, and you have a very good chance of survival. You know, a 95% chance of five-year survival. If you don’t get the disease until later, you’re talking about maybe a five-year survival of 20% or lower.”

Morrison’s cancer and surgery didn’t slow her down for long.

“After the surgery, I went through a recovery period and was encouraged to return to full activity as soon as possible,” Morrison said.

And she is! Full activity again, with a word of advice as we approach Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

“First and foremost, take your primary care seriously and if you are eligible for screening for any type of cancer, but in my case it was lung cancer, then by all means, go ahead with that,” Morrison said.

Munson will host a community event with a lung cancer awareness panel and mini exhibit on Nov. 21 at the Cowell Family Cancer Center.