Hello everyone from this beautiful group! I am Teresa Sossa, I am 57 years old and have two children Marcelo and Alejandra, 33 and 31 years old. I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer on February 17, 2021. On March 23, the ROS1 translocation was identified. My first symptom was in October 2020, with pneumonia, it was thought to be COVID. They did an X-ray and PCR test and they ruled out COVID. My symptoms subsided, but I was left with a slight cough. Then, in January I again had alleged symptoms of COVID, so there, they did a CT scan. If there hadn’t been a suspicion of COVID, they would not have done the CT scan.
I think COVID played in favor. Initially, the doctors did not identify the tumor, but my cough persisted and I consulted by telemedicine with a pulmonologist (who was with COVID). He identified the tumor and told me that additional studies had to be done to confirm the diagnosis. I thought that all of this was not real and I was shocked. I smoked for a few years when I was in college. Then, never again and I led a very active life in my work and always doing exercises in the gym and trying a healthy diet.
In February I went to Chile with my son, since in my country Bolivia, medicine is very precarious and there is no possibility of doing this type of study. In Chile, due to the restrictions derived from the pandemic, there was a long delay in carrying out the studies. PET-CT confirmed a spiculated mass of 40mm with SUV of 13.5, a slightly hypermetabolic right supraclavicular lymph node of 7mm with SUV of 3.2.Hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy in the right pulmonary hilum of 20 mm and in the anterior and middle mediastinum.
On March 23, after an infinite wait, the ROS1mutation was just identified.
I thank God, my children and science for continuing here enjoying my rk, my family and so many blessings ... and with a lot of faith and optimism for the future! In this incredible group, which my children found, I have found support, a lot of knowledge and all the energy to move forward. On October 15 I turned 57 with immense gratitude for life!