The White Ribbon Project promotes awareness about lung cancer by changing public perception of the disease. Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.
I met Don Gallagher through my website. He contacted me after he and his wife had read Chris’ book “Cancer on Two Wheels” and my book “His Love Carries Me.” He wanted to thank me for publishing the books that helped them navigate through his lung cancer journey. An engineer, cyclist, and never-smoker like Chris, he could relate with Chris’ story, and his wife learned to be a diligent advocate from my experiences.
Don and his wife live in Olathe, Kansas. In October 2019, at age 62, he was diagnosed with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) – adenocarcinoma, originally staged at 3B. He had been suffering from a cough, mainly when he spoke. His primary care physician put him on antibiotics, but they didn’t get rid of his cough. Additional antibiotics didn’t work either, so he was then sent to a pulmonologist. A CT scan suggested lung cancer. Then a bronchoscopy and a tissue biopsy confirmed it.
Don and his wife thought the surgery, chemo, and radiation would get rid of the cancer and they’d be done with treatment. That didn’t happen. The following June, after radiation was over, scans showed some real tiny nodules and things that could possibly have been infection or inflammation.
His wife has been an amazing primary caregiver, advocate, and researcher for Don. In mid-2020, they requested genomic testing be done on a portion of his tumor. They wanted to find out what his cancer mutation was, feeling it was necessary to think about where they go in terms of possible future treatments. They discovered he was KRAS G12C.
The bigger thing they did was to start looking for clinical trials to get involved in. His wife took the lead on that and found a couple of different trials. They reached dead ends, unfortunately. But then his wife discovered they were offering new expanded-access trials where a new location could be set up. She shared that information with Don’s oncologist. Don’s hospital in Kansas City worked with Amgen contractually and set up an expanded-access trial. That trial was ready to go by February 15. Unfortunately, Don didn’t qualify for the trial because he hadn’t had immunotherapy yet. He was in the midst of immunotherapy when the trial actually opened. Ultimately, he checked that box for immunotherapy and was able to begin the clinical trial on April 15, 2021.
For Don, the clinical trial was a life saver. He had been spiraling down pretty fast prior to starting the clinical trial. Almost overnight, that drug took care of his headaches, fatigue, reduced his cough dramatically, and it changed his entire picture. He thinks of it as an amazing miracle drug.
In terms of advice he might give a cancer patient, Don said, “First and foremost, I would say it’s really, really important that you learn how to become your own advocate. Stand up for what you want. Do your research. Use the internet. Connect with other people that are dealing with what you’re dealing with.”
Don has learned to build a team around him that can help him survive. Although his battle has recently become harder again, he continues to educate others about lung cancer, to advocate, and to raise awareness and funding about this disease. Don has discovered that lung cancer never quits. Neither does he.
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For more information about Don’s experience with lung cancer, click here.