The father of 13 — Pearsall also has 22 grandchildren — began to panic. “I was on my balcony waiting for my wife to get dressed, and when I saw all that blood, I started to get scared,” says Pearsall, now 65, who was smoking a cigarette at the time. He quit smoking soon thereafter. The couple immediately headed to the nearest emergency room and, after some tests, including a lung scan, received the grim news that Pearsall had stage 3A non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) — the most common type of lung cancer in the United States, accounting for roughly 85 percent of all cases. NSCLC is the out-of-control growth of cells in the tissue of the lungs that can form tumors and spread to other areas of the body, becoming life-threatening. An estimated 117,910 men will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society. “The doctor stood by my bed, and told me, in front of my kids, that I had cancer and that I was going to die,” Pearsall, a machine operator in New Haven, Connecticut, recalls. “When I asked him what he meant by that, he said, ‘Everybody has to die.’ I started yelling — I was so upset.” Next, Pearsall was told that he would need surgery to remove the tumor. “My wife is a nurse’s aide and she got very upset at that point,” Pearsall says. “She thought we should get a second opinion.” A few days later, the couple consulted with Anne Chiang, MD, PhD, a member of Yale’s Thoracic Oncology team at Yale’s Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven. Through Yale’s Interventional Oncology program, Dr. Chiang suggested Pearsall consider a nonsurgical alternative. This would include a six-week treatment plan of receiving a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. “If you met me today, you would never believe I had cancer,” he says. “I go for scans every year, and seeing Chiang gives me comfort even though she told me I don’t need to see her anymore.” What has changed is that, since his diagnosis, Pearsall has become an activist of sorts, urging people to speak up about their cancer and to advocate for better healthcare. Here’s what he — and Chiang — want you to know about taking an active role in your cancer diagnosis and how to participate in your treatment plan.
Pearsall’s Advice
No. 1: Push for the Right Treatment Course
Pearsall says it was his wife who convinced him to think twice about surgery and talk to another doctor about his cancer treatment. “I would have gone ahead and had the surgery,” he says. “Luckily, she was there to push me to get a second opinion.”
#2: Be Open About Your Diagnosis
Among his community, Pearsall avoided talking about his cancer. But that’s something he’s slowly changing. He also found it helpful to go to support group meetings and talk about his experience with other cancer patients. “I say you have to be open about it,” he says. “I see all those ads for St. Jude’s and I see how strong those little kids are. I’ll never forget seeing a child coming out of chemo when I was having mine. That gave me strength. You have to let people know you have it and that you can get through it.”
No. 3: Be There for Others
Pearsall is more than eager to give people advice and tips on how to manage their cancer treatment. “If someone asks me what cancer treatment is like I tell them how much it helped that my wife made me homemade chicken soup and I remind them that they have to make sure to drink Ensure to get the vitamins and minerals they need,” he says. He also tells people that if they love someone with cancer, they shouldn’t act or treat that person any differently. “Love them just the way they are.”
Dr. Chiang’s Advice
No. 1: Surgery Isn’t Always Better
While some patients may feel that surgery is the best option when a tumor is found, that’s not always the case. A course of chemotherapy, radiation, or both may be more effective. “There’s a lot of education that we try to do around this,” she says. “Taking it [the tumor] out isn’t always the answer.”
No. 2: Make Sure You Understand Your Options
Your healthcare provider should clearly explain what’s being recommended to you, says Chiang. They should also inform you of a clinical trial, if there’s one available for you. “I feel strongly that you don’t have to understand cell physiology or drug pharmacology, but it’s important that patients understand what their options are and why your doctor favors one over the other,” she says. “If you understand your treatment course you will be better able to participate in your care and ask the right questions.”
No. 3: Find an Advocate
Just like Pearsall, people often turn to a family member to serve as an advocate. However, you can also pick a friend to accompany you to your appointments. “This person should be a second pair of ears who asks questions for you,” she says. That person can also convey information to the cancer patient, too, and, if needed, there should always be a language interpreter in the room. “We’re very aware of how important it is to engage and talk to family members — not just treat the patient but to offer the broadest support possible,” she says.
