‘It’s Changed My Perspective’: Cancer Surgeon Becomes a Lung Cancer Patient, Loses a Lung, and Then Runs a 5K; The Power of Positivity

Riall first realized she had a problem in December 2020. "It was just this dry kind of incessant cough," she told KGUN 9, Tuscon. The cough began during one of Arizona's most extreme coronavirus outbreaks, so COVID-19 was the obvious first suspect. After testing negative on several COVID tests and ruling out valley fever, Riall finally got her chest X-rayed.

The X-ray revealed a mass in Dr. Riall's left lung. "There’s a million things that could be, you know," she told KGUN 9, "Nobody thinks of cancer and somebody who is a nonsmoker and very, very healthy."

When testing confirmed that Dr. Riall’s tumor was cancerous, her first reaction was disbelief. "It can’t be right,” she said, “Why me? It’s not fair.”

Riall found her treatment to be more difficult than she expected. She planned to be out of the hospital within two days of her surgery so she could make it to her university's resident graduation, but a collapsed lung extended her recovery time.

Riall tries to focus on the way her experience with cancer can make her better at her work. "It's changed my perspective as a physician…just really being able to understand what they’re going through," she said.

Now, Dr. Riall can lead by example. Cancer will not hold her back. Running a 5K in under twenty five minutes on Sunday, Dr. Riall showed cancer survivors like her that the disease does not need to keep you from doing the things you love.

Lung Cancer and Non Smokers

In the United States, lung cancer is the most deadly form of cancer. Although lung cancer is commonly linked to smoking tobacco or using other nicotine products, the CDC estimates that between 10% and 20% of people diagnosed with lung cancer every year have never smoked.

Besides nicotine, there are other toxins that can increase risk for developing lung cancer. In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Raja Flores of Mount Sinai Hospital said, "Some lung cancers are from unknown exposure to air pollution, radon, or asbestos." Additionally, non-smokers who are diagnosed with lung cancer often have a family history of the disease.

The World Health Organization reports that radon may cause up to 16% of lung cancer cases worldwide. But that doesn't mean that smokers are off the hook. People who smoke are 25 times more vulnerable to radon than people who don't. Secondhand smoke is another major concern. According to the American Cancer Society, about 7,000 people succumb to lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke every year.

Lung Cancer Symptoms to Watch Out For

According to the CDC, lung cancer symptoms are the same for smokers and people who have never smoked.

• Losing weight quickly and unexpectedly
• Severe, prolonged, and painful coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Changes to the sound of your voice
• Struggling to speak without getting out of breath
• Torso pain, back pain (mid and upper back), and shoulder pain
• Discolored mucus and saliva

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