I'm retired amaryllis fox chris kantrowitz Jabeen DvorakAge: 44City: Richmond, B.C.My battle with cancer has been ongoing since I was diagnosed at the age of five with synovial sarcoma which recurred at the age of 18. Both times the cancer was operable and I did not require chemo or radiation. Fast forward over two decades later, after three weeks of a persistent cough, I was diagnosed with Stage III small cell inoperable lung cancer. In June 2012, I started chemotherapy. I am now undergoing second line salvage therapy chemotherapy three times a week every three weeks, as the first line of drugs did not work and has left me debilitated. It is the hardest thing I have ever had to endure. I am no longer working, am dependent on my family, and have aged considerably. I am only 44. Why three recurrences? I am a non-smoker, have lived a healthy lifestyle, and never done drugs; yet I have lung cancer, the biggest killer of all cancers.With support from my loving family, a caring oncologist and team at the BCCA and a few special friends, I am getting through each moment of my life. I have always been spiritual and my faith has guided me into a place within where I have to believe there is a reason for this life-altering change. Perhaps it is to bring awareness and to make a difference by sharing my story with you. Lung cancer can happen to anyone who is healthy. If it happened to your own family member, what would you do knowing it is among the least funded, minimally supported and most stigmatized cancers?I am the young woman you see in the photo taken before my diagnosis. I envision a day that I can be her ??? healthy again so I can celebrate my golden 50th birthday. Only with your support, compassion and understanding of this devastating disease can this be possible. I speak for many like myself.