During the last month of Jessica Sherrie’s pregnancy, she began to experience severe back pain. She knew pregnancy was associated with all kinds of pain and hoped that her pain would improve after giving birth. When it didn’t, she heard shocking news: Sherrie had stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer.
“At one point the doctor started saying ‘Oh, it could be cancer’ and I was hoping it wasn’t clear,” the 35-year-old told TODAY. “In the back of your mind it started to creep up like, ‘Oh, I could have cancer.'”
Although the last year has been difficult, she shares her story to encourage others to seek help when something doesn’t feel right.
“I hope people aren’t afraid to go to the doctor and find out if they have cancer because it could save their lives,” said Sherrie, who lives in Glendora, California. “I hope I can inspire people to take immediate action when they experience symptoms.”
Pregnancy, pain and a pandemic
When the back pain started, Sherrie didn’t think much about it. She had surgery for scoliosis in 2018 and was pregnant. She knew back pain was common at the end of pregnancy, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was wary of leaving her home.
“Once I had my daughter and the medication had worn off, I was still in pain,” Sherrie explained. “I assumed it was my back.”
When the pain persisted, she visited her doctor and underwent numerous scans and tests. When she heard that she had lung cancer last spring, she panicked: her in-laws had died of lung cancer.
‘I immediately thought,’ Oh, this is a death sentence, ‘recalled Sherrie, who never smoked.
But the doctor assured her it was non-small cell lung cancer, a less aggressive form of lung cancer. Still, she had tumors in her brain, spine, and hips, making it stage 4 or incurable.
“I was in a panic,” she said.
Although it sounds scary, Dr. Erminia Massarelli, Sherrie’s doctor, said new treatments could help turn some late-stage cancers into more manageable diseases.
“We tend to treat it as a chronic disease. So, just as diabetics need insulin in their lives, chronic cancer needs chronic treatment, ”the co-director of the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center’s lung cancer and thoracic oncology program told TODAY. “We tend to tailor the treatment so that they have fewer side effects.”
Sherrie immediately started treatment. She first received radiation before ending up at City of Hope, where she started chemotherapy. But she responded to that type and spent nearly a month in the hospital.
“I couldn’t get a visitor,” Sherrie said. “It was pretty scary and at times I felt really alone and just scared.”
Although it was difficult, she kept thinking about her daughter Regina.
“I was like, ‘I’m gonna beat this. I’m getting out of here,'” she said. “That’s been my mindset all along. I need to get well. I have to get through this because I want to be there for my daughter . “
She also feared her daughter wouldn’t remember her. But those fears were unfounded.
“She was so happy to see me and I was so happy to see her,” Sherrie said.
Sherrie started a new chemotherapy regimen and started working with a physical therapist. She then used a walker. When she started walking without it, she fell and fractured her hip and had to be in a wheelchair.
“I couldn’t walk for three months,” she said. “I was still doing chemo and was still motivated when the vacation came and I got COVID-19.”
She called Massarelli, who started an infusion of monoclonal antibodies against COVID-19.
Lung cancer in non-smokers
While nonsmokers often feel baffled when they are diagnosed with lung cancer, these cancers affect people who have never tried the habit.
“The data shows that about 10 to 15% of lung cancers occur in non-smokers,” said Massarelli. “We know that environmental exposure and genetic factors play a role.”
Lung cancer symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath.
- Chestpain.
- Back pain (sometimes a sign that cancer has spread to the spine or bones).
- Persistent cough.
While doctors often don’t think about lung cancer in young patients, Massarelli urges healthcare providers to take patients’ concerns seriously. When found early, it is easier to treat lung cancer.
“If symptoms persist for a long time, I would recommend GPs to really investigate the cause,” she said.
Maternity with stage 4 cancer
Although Sherrie has faced many complications over the past year, she has recently heard some good news.
“The tumors in my brain have shrunk so much that they’re microscopic, they can’t even see them, and most of the tumors in my lungs are gone, except there’s only one left,” she said.
But doctors found new tumors in her liver and hip. Now she is on a new drug regimen and she hopes it will help. She admits that having lung cancer can feel overwhelming at times.
“We were completely shocked to learn I had it,” Sherrie said. “I haven’t really seen young people like me in cancer treatment.”
But spending time with Regina, 1, and watching her grow keeps Sherrie motivated.
‘I didn’t like to carry her and walk around the house. I should sit down… that was a tough time for me, ”Sherrie said. ‘I just want to hold my daughter. But now it’s okay, I can hold her all the time. “