By Mike Johnson
Growing up I had a series of reoccurring dreams, one involved me heroically pulling people from a
burning car on the side of the road, the other had me getting cancer, battling it, and eventually
overcoming it. Both dreams were perplexing to me especially the later as there was no family
history of cancer…but it was a dream so no telling what these dreams meant.
Dream unfortunately turned into reality when I got an unexpected call from my primary care doctor
while I was lounging by the pool. The precautionary x-ray she took during my annual physical a few
days before showed something of concern. This became the start of my cancer journey.
I was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. During one of my initial meetings with an oncologist, I
asked what the survival rate for the type of cancer I had was…I guess I was hoping for a more
optimistic outlook when the doctor told me about 1 in 3 people beat the particular type of cancer I
had. Down but not defeated, my cancer battle began.
Initially they tried to eradicate my cancer through surgery, but once the got “inside” they saw the
cancer spread further than they thought. With a surgical solution now ruled out, my treatment plan
called for an aggressive regime of chemotherapy and radiation followed up by immunotherapy. This
plan encompassed a 13-month period. During this time, I participated in two clinical trials hoping
that the learnings would benefit future cancer patients.
The chemo and more so the radiation hit me extremely hard, and outside of trips to the hospital I
lived on my couch for months on end. I had no energy and honestly felt miserable, but I kept my
faith, positive attitude, and the belief the drugs were doing what they were designed to do.
Three months after I finished my last immunotherapy treatment I got scans to see where we stood.
Miraculously the scans came back clean, the cancer was gone, and I officially was in remission.
I had beat the odds!
What I learned during my cancer journey was that being diagnosed with cancer is no longer a death
sentence in many cases. While I say “I” beat cancer, honestly, I just went along for the ride while
others did the hard work. My faith, my incredible medical team, and just an amazing support team
are the real heroes in this story and in my cancer journey.
So, what now? I am living and leading a life of immense gratitude and always keeping my eyes
peeled wondering if there is a burning car out there waiting for me to arrive.
