I attended an educational seminar today sponsored by MD Anderson at the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas. I had an opportunity to chat briefly with Dr. John Heymach, the oncologist to whom I give credit in my book (His Love Carries Me) for saving Chris’ life in 2010. Dr. Heymach not only changed Chris’ treatment plan from chemo to radiation when he had postobstructive pneumonia, he recognized that Chris fit the profile for having a rare ALK+ gene mutation and sent his lung biopsy tissue to be tested. The results came back positive, and MD Anderson’s clinical trial for ALK+ helped Chris achieve “no evidence of disease” within 12 weeks of starting the trial. Chris never had the opportunity to get his photo taken with Dr. Heymach, so I grabbed the chance when I got it!
White for the Fight Against Lung Cancer
Chris always wanted to raise awareness of lung cancer and get it the attention this despicable disease deserves, especially during November—Lung Cancer Awareness Month. He was upset that breast cancer—not lung cancer—was still getting all the media attention, with pink everywhere.
Back in 2012, he made the following tongue-in-cheek announcement on CaringBridge: