H E A LT H
SURVIVOR’S STORY
Reina Honts found out she had lung cancer as she approached age 50. She caught it in time to beat it, and now has an important message for men and women of all ages: Get tested. She walked the 3-mile Strides for Life on August 11, which benefits the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. Here, she tells Purist about her journey and recovery.
Lung cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer death among both men and women. In the U.S. alone, approximately 228,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. This disease does not just affect smokers. If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. Currently, almost 20 percent of lung cancer diagnoses occur in people who have never smoked. Over 60 percent of those diagnosed are not current smokers, which includes those who may have smoked in the past. Death rates for lung cancer are so high because it is often detected too late, when treatment options are limited. This is why early detection is so critical. When non-small cell lung cancer is diagnosed in its early stage, the five-year survival rate is upwards of 60 percent versus 6 percent for
late-stage diagnosis. I lost both my mother and my grandmother to cancer— my mother to lung cancer at 53, and my grandmother to breast cancer at 57. As I approached my 50th birthday, which was not exactly thrilling for me, I began seeing public service announcements on bus stops recommending low-grade CT scan screening for former smokers or people who have been exposed to second-hand smoke. This prompted me to ask for a CT scan at my annual exam, which came back with results showing cancer. Neither my doctor nor I could believe it. I was diagnosed with lung cancer at almost the exact same age as my mother, who was a smoker while I am not. I was incredibly lucky to catch it in its early stages. 36
Sarah Beth Turner
Reina Honts with her husband, John, and their two children, Julian and Reine.
