Meet Cynthia

Cynthia

Lung Cancer Survivor

Cynthia couldn’t shake the persistent cough after a recent cold.

Although she hadn’t smoked in 25 years, her husband urged her to get a lung cancer screening at Moffitt Cancer Center to check out why her chronic cough was not improving.

The test results revealed the surprising underlying cause: stage 2 lung cancer.

“When they told me I had cancer, my thoughts were ‘I’m going to beat it,’” says Cynthia. “I didn’t tell anybody that. It was just something in my soul.”

Right away, Cynthia was determined to follow her treatment team’s recommendation, which included surgery and chemotherapy.

She had so much to live for. Her loving husband, five children and 10 precious grandchildren – with one more on the way.

“I trusted in the doctors at Moffitt,” says Cynthia. “I knew I was going to succeed at getting well.”

Her positive determination, radiant personality and relentless willingness to push forward inspired her treatment team.

“The courage to be there for her family pushed her every day to do what she needed to do,” remembers Carla Moodie, a physician assistant. “Even though it was hard, she would get up every day and continue to fight.”

Cynthia says giving up was never an option. “That’s courage to me,” she says.

Now in remission, Cynthia advocates the importance of getting cancer screenings and listening to your body when something doesn’t feel right.

“Procrastination is not a good thing when it comes to your health,” she says.

She credits her husband with giving her that little push that she needed.

“I’m glad I didn’t wait,” says Cynthia. “It gave me the opportunity to keep living.”