RETpositive
Melissa: Diagnosed with RET+ NSCLC in 2005
Melissa: Diagnosed with RET+ NSCLC in 2005
I was diagnosed with lung cancer ‘accidentally’ in 2005, following a chest x-ray done as part of a routine physical for a new job. Despite an upper left lobe resection followed by six rounds of chemotherapy, by 2008 the cancer had metastasized to my liver. Now Stage IV, I underwent a plethora of treatments, including stereotactic and proton beam radiation. I’ve had chemotherapy, immunotherapy and have been in six clinical trials. In 2016 I partnered with LUNGevity to start the RET Renegades Facebook group as a means for people with the RET mutation to connect and support one another. I started the Loxo-292 trial in 2017 and am now NED ("‘No Evidence of Disease"). I’ve been through some very tough times, but I have been dealing with this for almost 20 years and I am still here.
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