During the last month of Jessica Sherrie’s pregnancy, she began to experience severe back pain. She knew that pregnancy had all kinds of pains and hoped that her pain would improve after childbirth. When that did not happen, she learned shocking news: Sherrie had stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer.
“At one point, the doctor came up like, ‘Oh, it could be cancer,’ and I was hoping it was not taken for granted,” the 35-year-old said TODAY. “Oh, I can get cancer.”
Although the past year has been difficult, she shares her story of encouraging others to seek help if something feels wrong.
“I hope people are not afraid to go to the doctor and find out if they have cancer because it could save their lives,” said Sherrie, who lives in Glendora, California. “I hope I can inspire people to take immediate action when they experience symptoms.”
Pregnancy, pain and a pandemic
When the back pain started, Sherrie did not think much about it. She was operated on for scoliosis in 2018 and was pregnant. She knew that back pain was common in late pregnancy, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was careful to leave her home.
“After my daughter was once and the medication disappeared, I was still in pain,” Sherrie explained. “I assumed it was me from my bad back.”
As the pain continued, she visited her doctor and underwent numerous scans and tests. When she learned last spring that she had lung cancer, she panicked: her in-laws had died of lung cancer.
“I was just instantly like, ‘Oh, this is a death sentence,'” recalls Sherrie, who never smoked.
But the doctor assured her that it was non-small cell lung cancer, a less aggressive type of lung cancer. Still, she had tumors in her brain, spine and hips, which made it stage 4 or incurable.
“I was pretty crazy,” she said.
Although it sounds scary, dr. Shermin’s doctor Erminia Massarelli said new treatments could help make some cancers more manageable in the late stages.
‘We tend to treat it like a chronic disease. So, just as diabetic people need insulin in their lives, chronic treatment must have a chronic form of cancer, ‘the co-director of the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center’s program for lung cancer and thoracic oncology told TODAY. “We tend to adjust the treatment so that it does not have as many side effects.”
Sherrie immediately began treatment. She first had radiation before ending up at City of Hope, where she started chemotherapy. But she had a reaction to the type and spent almost a month in the hospital.
“I could not have visitors,” Sherrie said. “It was pretty scary and sometimes I really felt alone and just got scared.”
Although it was difficult, she thought of her granddaughter, Regina.
‘I was like’ I’m going to beat it. I’m going to get out of here, ” she said. “It was my mentality the whole time. I need to get well. I have to go through this because I want to be there for my daughter. ”
She was also worried that her baby daughter would not remember her. But these fears were unfounded.
“She was so happy to see me and I was so happy to see her,” Sherrie said.
Sherrie started a new chemotherapy treatment and started working with a physical therapist. At the time, she was using a hiker. When she started walking without it, she fell and broke her hip and had to sit in a wheelchair.
“I could not walk for three months,” she said. “I was still on chemotherapy and was still motivated when the holidays happened and I got COVID-19.”
She called Massarelli, who started an infusion of monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19.
Lung cancer in non-smokers
Although non-smokers often feel stunned when they are diagnosed with lung cancer, these cancers do affect people who have never tried the habit.
“The data show that about 10 to 15% of lung cancers occur in non-smokers,” Massarelli said. “We know that exposure to the environment and genetic factors are involved.”
Symptoms of lung cancer include:
- Short of breath.
- Chest pain.
- Back pain (sometime that cancer has spread to spine or legs).
- Persistent cough.
While doctors often do not think of young patients with lung cancer, Massarelli is appealing to healthcare providers to take patients’ problems seriously. If found early, it is easier to treat lung cancer.
“If the symptoms persist for a long time, I would advise the primary care physicians to really investigate the cause,” she said.
Maternity with stage 4 cancer
Although Sherrie has faced many complications over the past year, she has recently learned good news.
“The tumors in my brain have shrunk so much that they are microscopic, they can’t even see it and most of the tumors in my lungs are gone unless there is only one left,” she said.
But doctors found new tumors in her liver and hip. Now she is on a new drug regime and is hopeful that it will help. She admits that having lung cancer is sometimes overwhelming.
“We were completely shocked to hear that I had it,” Sherrie said. “I’ve never really seen young people like me in cancer treatment.”
But spending time with Regina (1) and watching her grow keeps Sherrie motivated.
“I did not like to carry her and walk around the house. “I should have sat down … it was a difficult time for me,” Sherrie said. “I just want to hold my daughter. But it’s good now, I can hold her all the time. ‘