Prior to being diagnosed with lung cancer, Renee Marrero already had an acute awareness of the disease.  That’s because her sister was diagnosed in 2016, her father in 2017.  Renee’s sister underwent a target therapy regimen, which initially seemed to control her tumor growth; but her father, a smoker, died just six months after his diagnosis.  She encountered some resistance, but Renee was able to get a CT scan, and in July 2017, it revealed a spot on her upper right lung.  In December, she underwent thoracic surgery to remove two small tumors.

 

Renee Marrero enjoyed an active lifestyle with her husband and seven children in White Bear Lake, Minnesota; but she thought she should get a CT scan after her sister and father were diagnosed with lung cancer.  A target therapy regimen was able to limit her sister’s tumor until the cancer spread to her brain after which she soon passed away in 2020.  Renee’s sister was a non-smoker, but her father did have a smoking habit, and he died about six months after he was diagnosed.  Renee’s CT scan showed a spot on her upper right lung.  She wanted another scan taken, but needed to wait three months.  That scan again showed the spot on her lung, confirmation she had multifocal lung adenocarcinoma in situ, a form of non-small cell lung cancer.  Renee could have done some more waiting, but at the time, with kids at home, she felt she needed to be proactive.

 

The surgery was successful, but was quite painful as the procedure went through her ribs, which manifested itself anytime Renee wanted to laugh.  After the surgery, she had to stay home for six weeks to recover, and to deal with pain, which she said was worse than childbearing.  She was also concerned about taking pain medication, and the possibility of addiction, but she followed her doctor’s instructions and thankfully off the meds in about a week.  Only two months after the surgery, Renee took part in a stair climb going up 30 flights of stairs in downtown Minneapolis to raise money for lung cancer research. 

 

Renee still yearly followup visits, and is active in advocacy work for those diagnosed with lung cancer and their caregivers. 

 

Additional Resources:

 

Support Group:

 

A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation   

https://www.abreathofhope.org

 

 

Reading Material:

 

Let Your Life So Shine by Julie Dawn Carr (Renee’s sister)