Everything was Fine Until It Wasn’t: Shauna’s Story of a Cold, a Cough, an X-ray and Stage 4 ALK+ Lung Cancer

Shauna was living her healthiest, most active life at 51 when everything shifted. After what seemed like a simple cold in the fall of 2018, she noticed a cough that wouldn’t go away. A quick trip to urgent care during her lunch break led to an unexpected X-ray, and within days, she learned there was a mass in her lung. Not long after, a biopsy confirmed the diagnosis: stage 4 ALK-positive lung cancer.

Interviewed by: Nikki Murphy
Edited by: Katrina Villareal

Naturally, the news was shocking. Shauna had no family history, had never smoked, and had just sent her kids off to start their own lives. She and her husband were busy, working full-time, and looking forward to the next chapter. Instead, she had to face something that seemed impossible.

From the start, Shauna leaned into both her medical team and the online ALK-positive lung cancer community. She discovered support groups on Facebook, where people openly shared knowledge and resources. That encouragement helped her seek second opinions from specialists in Nashville and Boston, giving her confidence in her care. Although she stayed with her local oncologist for several years for convenience, she eventually transitioned to a larger hospital in Indianapolis to explore clinical trials and gain access to more advanced care.

Shauna’s treatment has centered on targeted therapies. Her first tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) kept her stable for about five years, even though she had to adjust her dosage due to side effects like bradycardia and pneumonitis. She also underwent radiation for specific spots of growth along the way. (Editor’s Note: A tyrosine kinase inhibitor is a type of targeted therapy used to treat cancer. Tyrosine kinases are enzymes that may be too active or found at high levels in some types of cancer cells, and blocking them may help keep cancer cells from growing.)

By 2024, when new nodules appeared, she switched to a second TKI. Thankfully, her scans are stable again, and she feels better on this newer medication, with fewer side effects and more energy.

Through it all, Shauna has prioritized mindset and lifestyle. She focuses on staying as healthy as possible, embracing a mostly vegan diet, exercising, and paying attention to how her body responds. Though stage 4 ALK-positive lung cancer is treatable but not curable, she chooses not to live in fear. Instead, she invests in her relationships, grateful for every moment she’s been able to spend with them.

She’s also thinking ahead about clinical trials, recognizing how important they are for advancing treatment and offering patients more time. Her biggest challenge is knowing her time may be cut short, but she finds peace in her faith and purpose in encouraging others. As she puts it, life is short for all of us. She reminds people to live fully, not to waste days in worry, and to be kind.

Shauna’s story highlights the importance of support, second opinions, staying proactive, and holding onto hope while navigating life with stage 4 ALK-positive lung cancer.

Watch Shauna’s interview to find out more about her story:

• How a lingering cough led to a life-changing diagnosis
• Why she turned to online communities for knowledge and support
• The role her husband and family play in her care and outlook
• What clinical trials could mean for her and others with ALK-positive lung cancer
• Her message about choosing hope and living fully each day

Scroll down to read the transcript of Shauna’s interview.

• Name: Shauna D.
• Age of Diagnosis:
  • 51
• Diagnosis:
  • Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
• Staging:
  • Stage 4
• Mutation:
  • ALK
• Symptom:
  • Persistent dry cough following a cold
• Treatments:
  • Targeted therapy: tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI)
  • Radiation therapy

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. This is not medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider to make informed treatment decisions.

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of The Patient Story.

Hi, I’m Shauna

My name is Shauna. I live in Indiana. I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2018.

My family and friends would describe me as dependable and fun-loving.

When I first noticed something was wrong

Early in the fall of 2018, I had an illness, a normal cold, but my cough stayed after a couple of months. It didn’t go away. During lunch break at work, I went to an urgent care clinic where they did an X-ray and found a mass in my right lung. The person who did my X-ray talked to me about seeing the mass and told me I would need to see a pulmonologist and get scheduled.

As you can imagine, I was shocked. I scheduled with a pulmonologist and he scheduled a biopsy. I had a needle biopsy and all the scans that came after, and the biopsy came back positive for cancer.

The moment everything changed

I had just turned 51 that October and I was diagnosed in November. I was in the best shape of my life. My two kids had just flown the nest, and my husband and I were still working full-time. I was shocked. I had been eating well and exercising. I don’t have a family history of lung cancer. I have never smoked. It came out of nowhere. It was upsetting, for sure.

I searched for a different opinion

I live in a more rural area in Indiana, so we’re not close to any big hospitals. I started with a pulmonologist who was local and very good, and he was able to do what I needed done and diagnosed me. Then I found an oncologist who was local as well.

I came across a Facebook group for ALK-positive lung cancer, which helped a lot. It’s very educational, informative, and supportive. The people in that group have a lot of knowledge and that steered me to think of getting a second opinion, so I did. I went to a specialist in Nashville, Tennessee, and at Mass General in Boston, who is an ALK-positive lung cancer specialist.

I stayed with my general oncologist for about five years because I knew I was getting the standard of care. The treatment would be the same as I would get anywhere, and it was convenient being close to home. But since then, I have switched my care to a bigger hospital in Indianapolis because things are getting a little more complicated and I know I’ll have better access to clinical trials. It’s just a better facility.

It was pretty easy for them to tell, even with just the X-ray. They could see that it was in both lungs. I have innumerable little nodules in both lungs and one primary tumor in my right lung, so that made it stage 4.

How I learned about my biomarker

One of my second opinion doctors, who I see now at the Indianapolis hospital, is the one who submitted my sample to a company for biomarker testing. Everyone on my team knew what direction to go. I didn’t have that problem at all. Right off the bat, I’d say within a few weeks, I came back as ALK positive. I knew that there was a mutation and the thoracic oncologist told me that I likely had a mutation because of my age and some other things.

My treatment plan

Immediately, they started me on my first tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and at the full dose. I had some of the more serious side effects right away, like bradycardia and pneumonitis. My oncologist would lower the dose each time I experience an event like that.

At the time, that was the best and newest TKI available. We decided to stay the course and see because it had been proven with others that you could take half the dose and have it still be effective. In my case, that’s what we found. I was able to take half the dose and all the side effects went away. I was stable. I was never no evidence of disease. It probably shrank my original tumor about 40% and I’ve been stable since that time.

I was also able to scale my dose back up. By the last couple of years on that TKI, I was taking the full dose again with none of the same serious problems. I was on that first TKI for about five years until I started having some new spots in my left lung.

Then I had radiation. I don’t know what year that was exactly. They were about a year apart from each other. The radiation was targeting a certain spot where they thought they saw growth. Then I was stable and continued to stay on my first TKI.

In mid-2024, we started noticing some more growth in different spots. We were beginning to realize we had probably run out of time on my first TKI and that maybe it was time to switch because there was a newer drug out by that time. Research is so important because if I didn’t make that jump, that would have been it.

I started on my second TKI in August 2024 and that’s what I’m on right now. I have had some questionable scans, but my last scan in Indianapolis read stable.

What life is like on a targeted therapy

I haven’t had a lot of problems with side effects on either drug. I know I had a couple of serious ones off the bat because I was probably taking too big a dose for my body to adjust to it, but then I was able to go back to the full dose.

With the first TKI, I had a lot of bloating, awful constipation, and some sensitivity, but the side effects are nothing compared to the drug working. To me, that’s the most important thing.

When I was out in the sun, I learned to wear sunscreen, a rash guard, and a hat. I got used to how long I could stay out in the sun without burning. I found something to use for the constipation.

The second TKI causes a little neuropathy and tingling in the hands. I live with it, but that went away somewhat. I don’t even notice it now. I have so much more energy on this TKI as well and not as much weight gain. I’m very happy with this, as long as it’s working.

I thought that I would throw everything at it and make sure my body was in optimal position to fight what may come. As we know, it’s terminal, so I’m trying to live as long as I can. I’ve always been pretty healthy. I always exercised and took care of myself, but I’ve taken it to a whole new level now. I’m mostly vegan and eat anything that’s anti-cancer and strengthens my immunity.

I’m considering clinical trials

I came back from a conference in San Diego, where they talked a lot about clinical trials. The ALK+ Summit was there. They have a yearly conference that’s so informative because they have amazing doctors and patients who talk.

Clinical trials are the only way these new drugs will ever come into play. They have to go through trials to be approved so that everyone can benefit. I’ve spoken to my oncologist and though it’s not something we’re necessarily looking for yet, it’s definitely on my mind.

What my biggest challenge has been

My future as a grandma is gone. I have seven grandchildren and I was able to see a lot of them be born since my diagnosis. I feel for the younger moms with kids at home. I’m thankful that I was able to raise my kids.

Cancer is so prevalent everywhere you look now, in younger and younger people, and all kinds of cancers. I can’t say I was necessarily that surprised. I was surprised at what type of cancer I ended up with, but it happens everywhere.

I would love to be on treatment indefinitely if it would last that long and if this could be treated like a chronic illness.

My message of hope

I have my faith. My hope is in my eternity. I realize that life is short. It’s short for all of us. It’s but a vapor. My life here on earth may be cut short, but I live each day to the fullest and try to be kind to everyone. I’m enjoying my family and friends, and I try to have a balance in life with this diagnosis.

I have my main people: my two daughters, my sister, my husband, and my parents. Those are the people whom I feel like I could go to right at the beginning and anytime I’ve needed them.

What I want others to know

Life is short. Take each day as a new chance. Don’t be scared. Don’t live your life in fear. It took me about two years before I was able to not worry anymore. I’m not going to worry about this one more day. I’m going to live like I have all the time in the world.

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