EP 2: You’ve Just Been Diagnosed with Lung Cancer. Now What?

If you’ve just heard the words “You have lung cancer,” this episode is for you.

Host Tina Powell, living with Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (EGFR mutation), shares the 18 things she wishes she had known from day one — from managing fear and mental health to building your care team, understanding your diagnosis, and learning how to live your life again after hearing the news.

In this powerful, practical guide, Tina walks step-by-step through what helped her most in those first uncertain weeks, offering real-world advice, emotional support, and hope for anyone facing the same journey.

🫁 You’ll learn:

·       Why it’s okay to take a breath and do nothing for a moment.

·       How to organize your medical, insurance, and support systems.

·       The importance of mental health, faith, and community in healing.

·       How to find the right oncologist and get a second opinion.

·       The one thing Tina believes matters most: live your life.

📚 Resources Mentioned 

-       GO2 for Lung Cancer

-       LUNGevity Foundation 

-       Lung Cancer Research Foundation 

-       The White Ribbon Project 

-       HOPE Summit 

-       Cure Lung Cancer Summit 

-       

Chapters

• 0:17 Welcome to Lung Cancer Strong
• 2:25 You’ve Just Been Diagnosed. Now What?
• 3:20 Realize You’re Not Alone
• 5:02 Take a Breath — Give Yourself a Moment
• 6:36 Get Your Mind Right
• 7:37 Quit Alcohol, Limit Sugar, Choose Life
• 9:36 Move Your Body, Heal Your Spirit
• 10:13 Faith, God, and Finding Strength in the Storm
• 11:53 Gratitude as Medicine
• 13:59 Finding Your People — The Power of Community
• 16:11 Build Your Internal Board of Directors
• 18:42 Get Organized — Paperwork and Power Moves
• 20:17 Learn, But Don’t Let It Overwhelm You
• 22:52 Telling Work When You’re Ready
• 24:29 Get a Second Opinion — Or Three
• 26:37 Choosing Your Care Team With Confidence
• 27:23 Confirm the Diagnosis, Trust the Data
• 29:55 Explore Every Treatment Option
• 30:32 Hold On to Hope — Always
• 31:41 Live Your Life — Don’t Let Cancer Define It
• 38:08 Closing Thoughts — Love, Light, and Lung Cancer Strong

Transcript

0:00

This podcast is strictly for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your oncologist, doctors and medical team for questions specific to your own health, diagnosis and treatment. If you're listening to this, you or someone you love has just heard the words, you have lung cancer. Right now, you might feel scared, overwhelmed, shocked, or even numb. I know because I've been there. Hi, I'm Tina Powell, stage four lung cancer survivor, thriver and patient advocate. And when I was diagnosed on January 16, 2023, I had a thousand questions and nowhere to turn for real answers from those who have lived it. That's why I created Lung Cancer Strong. Here you'll find things I wish I had from day one. Real stories, honest answers and the tools and hope to face every moment ahead. Here we get real about treatment, fears, setbacks, small victories, and finding purpose, even on the hardest and the most crushing of days. Here we get strong through information, inspiration and community. And most of all, we get through it together because this is a place of true connection, compassion, and unfiltered strength. So whether you're newly diagnosed, fighting with everything you've got, or standing by someone you love, this is your invitation to live intentionally, powerfully and with hope. One breath, one story, one day at a time. Welcome to Lung Cancer Strong. Hello everyone. Hi. Welcome to Lung Cancer Strong. I'm Tina Powell, your host, stage four lung cancer patient, survivor and thriver. Here to talk to you about what is very, very important. What I wish that I had had when I was diagnosed on January 16, 2020. That is the topic of today. You've just been diagnosed with lung cancer. Now what? Boy, did I wish that I had a road map that day. I have packed a lot of things within that this episode today. So there are 18 things altogether. Apologize if it's a little bit overwhelming, but let's face it, friends, getting a lung cancer diagnosis in itself is overwhelming. So I have tried to organize these 18, this list of 18 as best as I can. So again, hopefully that this you find value and and benefit. These were the things that helped me. And as you know, in our Lung Cancer Strong series, I am documenting my journey and the things that helped me in hope that it helps you. I greatly appreciate the support and the emails. My email is tinaung cancerstrong.com if you want to reach out, if you want to request any specific episodes. I'm really excited for today's episode because I think that it is one that is super, super important. So let's get right to it again. You've just been diagnosed with lung cancer. Now what? Number one, realize you're not alone. This year in the United States alone, 621 people per day will receive a lung cancer diagnosis. An estimated 2,000. Actually, 226,650 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States in 2025. And of those people, 20% of people who have never smoked account for those statistics. So again, people who have never smoked account for as many as 20% of. Of lung cancer diagnosis each year. So you've all heard the expression, if you haven't, if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. So realize you're not alone. Unfortunately, this disease is affecting lots of people worldwide, especially in the United States. Okay. Number two, take a breath. Take a. Give yourself a moment. A cancer diagnosis is so overwhelming, there is a tendency, at least I'll speak for myself. There's a tendency to want to do everything all at once. There's so many things your mind just goes through, a series of so many things that you want to do that you want to get done that you're afraid of. And unfortunately, things happen, especially in the beginning, A little bit slow happens, a little bit slow. So I'm going to need you like I did. Take a breath, give yourself pause. Give yourself a moment, and realize that you'll get the answers. You'll get everything lined up in time. You just can't do it all at once. Number three, mental health. You guys, this was really big for me. I find that lung cancer. I've had surgery, I've had radiation, I've had chemotherapy, I've had brain radiation. I've had a lot of stuff going on. And at the end of the day, the body does a miraculous job of healing. But it's such a mental game. Cancer is such a mental game, especially lung cancer, because the, again, we've. We've heard the, the statistics. Don't pay attention to those statistics, by the way. Realize that you're an N of 1. We'll be talking about that, a future episode. But your mental health is one of the most important aspects of your care. So you've got to get your mind right. For me, that meant that I wanted to reach out and meet with a counselor and a therapist who was local to me, who was local to me. And so I'm there every week, sometimes every two weeks, depending on my schedule, depending on my work schedule. But she has helped me considerably, especially through scanxiety, which we will talk about in a future episode. So mental health Whatever that means for you, don't be afraid to seek it out. Cancer is a mental game of toughness and you're going to go through all kinds of highs and lows and you're going to go backwards and you're going to go sideways. And a really good counselor can really help during those critical times. Okay, number four, quit alcohol, limit sugar. Hey guys, this was one of the first things that I did was I quit alcohol immediately after finding a cancer diagnosis. Was I a big drinker? No. Was I a regular drinker? Absolutely. Every weekend. Loved my vodka dry martini, loved a glass of Pinot grigio, and loved candy bars. So not only did I quit alcohol, but I limited the amount of sugar. I used to consume massive amounts of sugar. M&MS. With peanuts, almond Joys, Snickers, my all time favorite. And as soon as I got the diagnosis for, for cancer, I really lim my sugar, which was a big, I think was one of the most critical decisions that I made in terms of helping my body. So as it relates to cancer, you want to make sure that you are preparing your body for, for you're fueling your body for healing, for positive energy. And so sugar is working against you. There may be different, different thoughts here. For me, I'm sharing what works for me. And quitting alcohol and limiting sugar was one of the best decisions, I think. So clearly my mind is so strong and it's really helped to build that mental endurance and that resilience that, that you will need also too. I'm at a really lean weight. I feel great. I feel strong. So limiting the amount of sugar and even carbs in my diet has played a significant role. Okay, this leads me to number five. Number five is exercise. One of the most important exercises that I think that you can do as a lung cancer survivor and patient is walk. Is walk. It is invigorating to get like that 15, 20 minutes of oxygen. You could even walk on a treadmill. You can walk outside. Whatever that is means for you. For me, it has been really an important part of my mental toughness as well as my physical endurance when I do walk, and especially I love walking in nature reminds me. It connects me to a deeper purpose. It connects me to my faith and God and just does something for my soul. So number five, exercise has been a big part of me being able to live and thrive with this diagnosis. Okay, number six, faith, God and spirituality. Now I realize for every person this is going to be different. So I am sharing what has worked for me and what works for Me is having a daily practice of honoring and thanking God as well as a weekly practice of going to church. And I'm right here at Saint Andrews in Yardley, Pennsylvania. They are an Episcopalian church. My priest happens to have been a chaplain in a hospital for eight years. So she's really well versed at, at really talking to me and helping me to make sense of all of this. And at times it has been very, very difficult. And so they have put me on their faith, on their prayer list. There is a healing service also, too, that I try to attend at least once a month if I can. In whatever that faith in God and spirituality is for you. Don't be afraid to raise your hand. Don't be afraid to go a little bit deeper and, and to use that faith and God to help to restore, restore you. Okay, that for me has been huge. Number seven, keeping a gratitude journal. You guys, if you go to Amazon.com and I'll make sure that I put a link in the show notes, right now there's a gratitude journal online. It's cost less than $20. It's called the Five Minute Journal. The Five Minute Journal allows you to bring the product, the practice of gratitude in your life. And as a result, as it relates to cancer, I can tell you that gratitude is such a strong practice of helping to see the bright side of all of the things in our lives that we should be grateful for and giving thanks. And the daily practice of gratitude will help to build that strength and resilience that you'll need to get through your cancer diagnosis. So I can explain the five journal and the five minute journal in just a few minutes here. So what it does is that every day you it out and there's a. A quote, an inspiring quote that makes you think and that makes you reflect. The next thing that you do is you identify three things that you're grateful for. The next thing that you identify is the three things that are going to make your day awesome and then an affirmation. So you use that in the morning, and then at night, you return to the journal and then write three things that happen to you throughout the day that were magical. And the last thing is, hey, how could your day have gone better? And for me, filling out that gratitude journal, I can retrace how I felt at certain parts of the year when I was going through treatment. And also too, is a great way to shine a light on the things that you might need a little bit more help for. So again, keeping a gratitude journal, that daily practice of Gratitude is going to reinforce that resilience is going to build your strength and it's going to build your mental toughness. Okay, number eight, joining and or being aware of lung cancer community and nonprofits. You guys, when I was first diagnosed, nobody, nobody, not even my oncologist, told me that there were different lung cancer nonprofits that I might want to join for support, for resources, for information. So I'm here to give you four. There are lots. We'll do a future episode on lung cancer community and nonprofit. But for right now, here are four to help you get started. Go to for lung cancer. That spelled go to the number two. Go to for lung cancer Long Longevity Foundation, L u n G Longevity Foundation, Lung Cancer Research foundation and the white ribbon Project. I'll make sure to include a link in the show notes for you. All those nonprofits again and communities are go to for lung cancer Longevity Foundation, Lung Cancer Research foundation and the white ribbon Project. Some really great places for you all to start. Go to their websites, get familiar with who they are, follow them on social media and start getting resources. And again, your world will open up the way that my world opened up. One of the first things I did when I was again diagnosed with lung cancer. So I took myself to the hope Summit. I happened to find that and stumble upon that again. No oncologist is ever going to, at least in my world. And I've had three oncologists. No oncologist ever told me and ever shined a light on these nonprofits. And they've been been such an integral part in my learning about diagnosis and getting exposed to more and more people and being involved in the communities. I will also to be attending now, November. This is coming to you in November 2025, an event in New York City that Lung Cancer Research foundation is a part of. Okay, great. Number nine, build your support network. Build your support network. So what I did for my lung cancer diagnosis is I created what I call an internal board of directors. So realizing that you as the patient and you and for people who might be listening, you might be taking care of a patient as well, we might have a lot of caregivers in the audience. And I appreciate you all. Thank you. We would be. Oh, we would be lost without you. But creating your internal board of directors directors is really important, especially for patients, because we are emotionally charged throughout this whole journey. It's so hard, you know, especially if you're going through treatment and you've got drugs and you've got chemotherapy and you've got radiation and you got all these side effects. It becomes difficult and a lot harder to make decisions within our best interests when you are going through, through these things. That's why creating an internal board of directors is really important. Who might be that internal board of directors? Well, for me, it starts out with my children. My son and my daughter are a huge part of that. My partner Mark is a huge part of that. My mother is a big part of that as well as, you know, I'll call some, you know, my business partner at work, she's been involved in helping me to make some really good decisions. I have aunts and uncles. My uncle Larry has been such a, a great sounding board as well as my aunt Gina. So understanding that, you know you're going to need an internal board of, of directors. So to help you make some informed and smart decisions as you go along, you might even have some friends who happen to be involved in the medical community. And Mark and I are very, very, very lucky that we know people who pass surgeons, people who have medical degrees that have been a tremendous sounding board as well. Okay, so that was number nine. Build your support network, number 10. And now we're starting to straddle into some of the more medical things I'll talk about. Number 10 is getting yourself organized. For those of you, especially who work, you need to gather your insurance, your benefits, your employment paperwork. This is important for you to get exercised. Your, your employee, employee manual. Start to gather those things and get very clear on insurance or lack of, or lack of. I recently was introduced to someone who actually she and her, her friend, well, her boyfriend have been dating for a very long time. They were planning on getting married anyway, so he accelerated that so she could get on his benefits. So benefits coverage. Oh, this is such a massive part of managing your lung cancer care. So getting a Thor understanding for some companies as well, there might be a point of contact for your insurance benefit that can be very helpful. And we're not going to talk about any of the HIPAA laws and all of that. That is for another episode. But just start to get your paperwork organized, particularly as it relates to insurance. We'll talk about estate planning documents, financial planning documents at another point in time, but just get as organized as you can. That was number 10. Okay. Number 11 is what I'm calling educate yourself gradually. Educate yourself gradually. What that means is really starting to understand your condition and understand medical terminology. Here's the thing, you are going to start to hear a lot of medical terms and terminology things for the very first time. I look at it as me. I'm in finance for my, for my work. And when I first came to finance, I didn't know what an ETF was, what a 403 difference between a 403B and a 401K expense ratios like all of this, right. And even went on to get a Series 65 license. But I remember being absolutely clueless when it came to different financial terms. I remember being that same way when it came to medical jargon. So medical people and professionals are going to do their best to speak to you in a way that can help you understand exactly what's going on. But there are going to be certain things that you're going to need to learn about your condition and you want to learn about your condition. Lung cancer is different for everyone. There are different forms of lung cancer. There are, there's non small cell, there is small cell, there are different subgroups of lung cancer. There is EGFR and there are other, you know, subtypes of, of lung cancer. So I want you to be aware of what those are. So, and there's lots of different tests. There's PET scans, there's CT scans, there's MRIs, there's, there's other procedures, robotic lobectomy, stereotactic radiosurgery. So there's a lot of information there. So I want you to definitely start to educate yourself, but educate yourself gradually. Learn, but don't have it overwhelm you and learn the things that are important to you at the time. For me, when I was first diagnosed, that meant bronchoscopy, that was a procedure. Robotic lobectomy, that was a procedure also too that I had within the first month of being diagnosed. We'll have a future episode on that. So educate yourself gradually, but don't overwhelm yourself. Number 12, communicate with your employer when ready. For those of you who work, who are working, and for me, I'm still working and was working full time when I was first diagnosed. The reason why, say communicate with your employer when ready is you yourself are going to have to decide how and when to disclose it. The thing is, when you first get a cancer diagnosis is you are going to start to be swept up in a current of tests because you're going to need to understand what is happening to your body right now. And for me that meant taking off time from work. And all of a sudden, for a person that was not taking any time at all, I'm needing to get take off time to speak to and get various opinions, to travel, to get certain tests Even going back to getting that counseling, you're going to need to take off some time, so decide how you're going to communicate and disclose that to your employer so that they know and get a sense for what's going on. And they're not thinking that you're using that time to interview at a, as a, at a competitor, for example, they might give you a little bit more grace as well too, and have a little bit more empathy and understanding. And so that I think is really important to communicate to your employer. When ready, number 13, seek multiple opinions. I wish that I had done this right from the start and I went with an oncologist that I trusted and that I believed in and that was recommended to me and he did a great job. However, I wish that I had interviewed more than one person and more than one cancer hospital because what happened later down the line is that I switched my oncologist. I'm on my third oncologist and I'm on my third research hospital, my third cancer center. So maybe if I had done and gotten that multiple opinion or at least a second opinion early on, I might have ended up where I am right now, and that is Memorial Stone Kettering in New York City, if I had sought an earlier opinion with them. So I regret that I didn't do that. So I'm just passing along the information to you. It takes nothing to get a second opinion from multiple sources. So I hope that you're going to do that. Number 14, after getting that multiple opinion, you're going to need to choose your care team. Number 14, choose your care team. And that decision is only you can decide that part of that is what I'll call like a real gut decision of where you feel like you have a strong connection and where you have confidence in your care team. For me, choosing Memorial Stone Kettering and going with a research hospital that had access to clinical trials, for me, that was a non negotiable item. For you, it might look a little bit different. Okay. There are lots of great cancer centers throughout the world and specifically through the U.S. so, you know, choose your care team carefully and realize that that is a long term decision. And it goes back to having even that board of directors. I brought my daughter Rachel on an appointment, I brought my mother, I brought Mark. So when I made that decision to eventually go with Dr. Pack and memorial Sloan Ketter, that was done with my board of directors in mine who gave me confirmation that, yes, we think this is a great decision for these particular reasons. So again, number 14, choose your care team. Okay, we're wrapping up. We've got four more to go. Okay, number 15, confirm the diagnosis. Confirm the diagnosis. Once you confirm your care team and cancer center, you are going to go through multiple tests, biopsies, scans, lab work to confirm the diagnosis. This is so important. I have heard of cancer, of lung cancer patients being misdiagnosed, especially early, and then getting a biopsy or scan that eventually confirms something. You want to get all of these, take advantage of all of these diagnostic measures because the better the diagnosis, the better the treatment. There are lots of different sub domains of lung cancer. Alk positive is 1 EGFR. I happen to be EGFR L858R. In case anybody is wondering, even EGFR has sub, sub, sub domains under that, right? Exon 19 and Exon 21 are quite different. So your therapy and your treatment are going to correspond if you have a genetic mutation like I do, or even if you don't have a genetic mutation. That's why confirming that diagnosis is so important with biopsy scans and, and lab work. So, you know, these things are hard to do. I'm not going to say that, you know, it's a walk in the park to do these diagnosis, to get lab, lab work. These things are hard. But I want you to persevere through them and get as many diagnosis as you can so that you can confirm your diagnosis. Number 16, explore treatment options. Here's the thing. Once your diagnosis is confirmed, there may be multiple ways to treat it. There might be multiple ways for you to treat your condition. What you need to do as a patient is understand all the possibilities, including in clinical trials. I wish that I would have gotten in a clinical trial sooner. I lucked out that I was able to qualify for one that one this year clinical trial was one treatment option. There were many for me. So you need to understand all possibilities. You need to weigh the pros, the cons, the good, the bad and ugly of all of those different treatment options. But you're going to have to weigh them accordingly and do what's best for you. Okay, now we're getting into the home stretch. Ladies and gentlemen, number 17, hold on to hope. One of the best things right now in terms of lung cancer are the treatments, the innovations, the community around lung cancer. You are not alone. There are innovations and there are treatments, new treatments, new therapies being developed all the time, all the time. Things that have been in development for years as well that may be now, you know, finally being approved by the fda. So hold on to hope. Realize that you're not alone. Innovation is happening in this area. We're also too in the age of AI. So I'm absolutely sure that AI is going to have impact on our ability to create new therapies, new solutions, individual care. So hold on to that hope and you know, again, use your faith and spirituality and faith in God. If you believe in God, the power of the universe, whatever that is for you. That hope is essential, ladies and gentlemen, essential friends to your well being. So I want you to do that. Okay? And number 18. Number 18. This is a big one, you guys. It's huge. Huge for me and it's huge for you. And it's the hardest out of all of the 18. It's live your life. It is so hard to get out of your head and to resume normal activities, working, being a parent, being a grandparent, you know, being with friends, being out to dinner with another couple or even just your spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other. It is so hard to live admits, especially for, for all of us that are stage four. It is very hard to get out of your head and to live your life. But it essential that you can't let cancer define every single moment of your day. And it is so hard in the beginning, at least it was for me. And it's still hard that I don't think about cancer all the time. That's why I love work so much. That's why exercise, that's why faith, journaling, music, all of these things that can power and nurture your soul, things that you love to do. You don't let those things escape your life because of a cancer diagnosis. It is more important for you to live your life now more than at any other time. And I realize again, that's going to be hard to do on some days. You might not be wanting to get out of bed. And I get it because I've been there and I understand that. And if you don't want to get out of bed today, then don't get out of bed. But please do me a favor and make a promise to me that you're going to get out of bed the following day and live your life. Do what lights up your soul and find enjoyment in every day and the things that you love to do, live your life. Okay, I want to wrap up the 18. You've been diagnosed with lung cancer. Now what? Number one, realize your number, you're not alone. Number two, take a breath, give yourself a moment in a pause. Three, mental health. Seek out professionals who can help you to get through a very difficult time. Number four Quit alcohol and limit sugar. This will have a great effect on your body, your brain and your mind. Number five Exercise, movement, even just walking can restore clarity and strength and healing to your body. Number six Faith, God and spirituality. Lean into what anchors you and seek out spiritual guides to help you get through. Number seven Keep a gratitude journal and have a daily practice of giving thanks. It will help to restore your mind and even your faith. Number eight eight. Get curious and join different lung cancer communities we talked about. Go to Lung Cancer Go to for Lung Cancer Longevity Foundation, Lung Cancer Research foundation and the White Ribbon Project. You can all find these online as well as social media. Number nine Build your support network. Create that internal board of directors that I Talked about. Number 10 get organized. Start to gather insurance, benefits, employment paperwork and all of those odds and ends so that you understand where you need to fill in gaps and what types of benefits you are entitled to. Number 11 educate yourself gradually but don't overwhelm yourself. You're going to have to learn new things. Learn them gradually and a pace that feels good to you. Number 12 communicate with employer. When ready, disclose to your employer. Again, this is on a case by case individual basis. How and when you want to disclose that you have an illness so that your employer is more understanding and more empathetic to what's going on around you. You number 13 seek multiple opinions. I talked about getting a second and even third opinion from different oncologists and different care centers. Number 14 choose your care team. Find someone that you feel, that you connect and that you're confident about. And again, use those internal board of directors to help you make it through. Number 15 confirm the diagnosis. Go through scans. Go through biopsies. Go through lab work to make sure that your case is complete and accurate to confirm the diagnosis that will help to align the right treatment protocol for you. Specifically. Number 16 explore different treatment options. There's going to be various pros and cons to the different things that you may be considering, so you want to understand what all of those possibilities are, including clinical trials. Number 17 hold on to hope. Realize that you're not alone and that innovation and research and new drugs and therapies are being developed all over the world. So you have many options today and you'll have many options in the Future. And number 18, the most important thing of it all. Live your life. Resist the urge to think about cancer every single moment. Do not let it define every part of your life. Yes, it changes your life drastically in a way that nothing has ever changed your life before. However, it doesn't need to rent space in your brain every single second. Live your life. Do the things that light up your soul, light up your spirit, because that is going to be so important to your healing, which we will talk about in a future episode. So again, I am Tina Powell for Lung Cancer Strong. You could reach me@tinaung cancerstrong.com I'd love to hear from you, let me know what questions and what problems that you are wrestling with right now. Maybe we make a future episode about it. But I thank you so much for reaching out. I'll see you here next week. Bye. Thank you for joining me today on Lung Cancer Strong. Remember, this podcast is strictly for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Always talk to your oncologist, doctors and healthcare team about your individual situation. If you'd like to reach out to me or share your thoughts, please please email me@tinaung cancerstrong.com and be sure to at least allow 48 hours for a reply. And don't forget, you can find us on YouTube and on all the major podcast outlets. Hit subscribe so you never miss an episode and get notified when something new drops. One breath, one story, one day at a time. This is Lung Cancer Strong.