PROFILES IN LUNG CANCER
Lung Cancer Awareness Month 2015
Day 17: Kim Ringen, Lung Cancer Survivor
“Everyone kept blowing off my concerns as typical pregnancy symptoms.”
Twitter handle: @KimberlyRingen

Who is Kim Ringen? Tell us a little bit about who you are, aside from cancer.

Funny I can’t get away from cancer even in my former life….I’m a veterinarian oncologist. I love being a veterinarian. I wanted to honor the human animal bond when picking a specialty – I chose oncology for 2 reasons. #1 I wanted to help further honor that bond by helping guide pet owners through what is considered one of the darkest days for their companions. #2 I find the intricate cellular backbone that drives cancer biology so intriguing from a science standpoint. This has been one of the hardest parts of my former life to let go… being a veterinarian is not just a job it becomes part of who you are..regardless if you are able to practice of not.

I love skee ball. If I walk into a restaurant or bar with a skee ball machine I am hooked.

I have 3 dogs (lab, grey-mixed breed, and pug), a cat and 7 chickens – in the city. We named the chickens after our friends. We have them kinda trained like dogs.

I was a avid runner prior to my diagnosis – I loved running. If I could run again I would feel more like my former self. My previous half-marathon pace was 8:28/mile…. I would settle for 20 min miles now if I could.

Since I no longer run I have taken up watercolor painting and writing. I am enjoying these hobbies.

How did they find out you had lung cancer?

I was early in my 2nd trimester of pregnancy and I was very short of breath – I kept telling my OBGYN that was also very tired… I used the words morbidly tired. Everyone kept blowing off my concerns as typical pregnancy symptoms. I told my running coach … read more on Tori Tomalia’s blog “A Lil Lytnin Strikes Lung Cancer“

Lung Cancer Awareness Month 2015

PROFILES IN LUNG CANCER – DAY 15

Lung Cancer Awareness Month 2015

Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, Lung cancer advocate and former caregiver
“Lung cancer happened to Paul, but it’s something we did together.”
Twitter handle:@rocketgirlmd

Who are you? — I am Paul Kalanithi’s widow, I’m a doctor, and I’m Cady’s mom.

My husband was Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon and writer who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in 2013 and who passed away this year at age 37. Paul and I met and married in medical school at Yale and moved to California together 8 years ago to start our residencies. When he was diagnosed, our top priority (apart from the best medical care) was to clarify what was truly important to us and help him seek meaningful time. That included going back to work and, for him, writing (including the essay “How Long Have I Got Left?” in the NYT and working on a memoir). We’d always thought we’d have a child together at the end of residency and when he got sick, it was about that time. We decided we were still going to do it, despite Paul’s illness. So, I am also Cady’s mom! [Cady was born in 2014, 14 months after Paul was diagnosed with lung cancer, and 8 months before Paul passed away.] She brought us incredible joy.

I’m an internist at Stanford, where I help run a fellowship program studying health care value. I’ve always been interested in how the health care system can best meet the needs of patients. I’m also gearing up to promote Paul’s book, When Breath Becomes Air, which is about facing mortality as both a physician and a patient. I hope it will bring a lot of attention to LC.

What is your connection to the LC community? — Paul had metastatic lung cancer. Also, as a doctor, I’ve had a number of patients with lung cancer and I cared about lung cancer. And, I’m now connected with other patients, advocates, and some really wonderful thoracic oncologists and palliative care doctors.

I really care about LC advocacy and I feel I have … read more on Lisa Goldman’s blog “Every Breath I Take“