In 2010, Gary Brausen started coughing quite a bit, which he thought was no big deal until it continued to get worse.  He got a chest x-ray, then a bronchoscopy, in which tissue samples are obtained.  Then his pulomonologist called Gary and told him he had lung cancer, an extremely aggressive form of adenocarcinoma.  Further biopsies and scans and brain MRIs resulted in a diagnosis of Stage 3B lung cancer.  Despite this horrific news, Gary vowed to not let it be a death sentence.

 

Gary’s left lung was saturated with cancer cells, and doctors said it would have to be removed.  First up was a procedure called a mediastinoscopy, which searches for cancer in places other than his left lung.  If the procedure comes back negative, the care team could go ahead with the removal of the lung. 

 

Given the green light to do the surgery, it was extensive and tricky and painful because it cut through nerve endings in his back where nerve endings attach to the spinal cord.  But the procedure was a success and Gary’s left lung was removed. 

 

Gary Brausen was allowed a four-to-six-week break before going on an aggressive chemotherapy regimen.  It included the time-tested medications, cisplatin and alimta, with four treatments over three months.  Next up came another four-to-six-week break, then seven weeks of radiation treatment.  When that was over in October 2011, Gary said, “There wasn’t left of me.”  He had lost all of his muscle mass and 25-30 pounds. 

 

Then Gary had three more chemotherapy treatments.  After that, he went in for his first scan and the oncologist was stunned to look at the results and say he didn’t see any cancer and that Gary’s lymph nodes and organs looked good.  These tests were repeated every six months for five years after which Gary’s doctor said, “I don’t see any cancer.”  After two more years of clean scans, the doctor said, “I think you might have beat this.”

 

In 2017, Gary had a scare when he was diagnosed with a plural effusion, an infection of the lung.  He underwent a great deal of treatment, but the threat of a return of his cancer looming, test results revealed an infection but no cancer and the infection eventually went away.

 

Gary Brausen has achieved survivorship, defying the odds and getting the best of Stage 3B lung cancer; but his cancer journey continues with his serving as a mentor to lung cancer patients.  He tells them about what one can expect with a diagnosis, how to deal with chemotherapy and radiation treatment and how to deal with the stigma attached to lung cancer, as many people incorrectly think at every turn lung cancer is tied to smoking tobacco.

 

Additional Resources:

 

A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation: https://www.abreathofhope.org