My story was first published in a book titled ‘Every day counts’ (Hver dag teller , published by Kreftkompasset). Today is three years since my diagnosis. I am so extremely grateful for the gift of every single day and the love I have received from family and friends, near and far.

This post covers the first part of the story, my diagnosis and the start of this journey.

My life starts in Bombay, as it was known then. This is where I grew up and it’s where some of my family still lives. After high school, I started studying at university, and here I met my husband, Francis. We married in 1987. After university, Francis was part of a software development project based in Norway, and we decided to move here for a few years. Our plan at the time was to move back to India. We moved to Norway in 1987, and we are today living in Oslo.

In 2009, many years after we moved to Norway, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. She passed away a couple of years later.  At the time, I informed my doctor (GP) about this.  We decided to do an X-ray of my lungs, and everything looked fine. There was nothing to worry about since the X-ray results were fine.  

Allergies are part of daily life

All my life I have been plagued with allergies to various foods, animals and dust. It was kind-of-normal for me to have sneezing bouts or a slight cough. However in 2019, these ailments increased. My husband and sons noticed this and bought an air purifier. We all assumed it was due to the dust in the area. Months passed and even though I did not get better, I did not suspect anything serious. I continued to do my annual check up with my GP, to get my prescription for my allergy tablets. 

In March 2020, the corona pandemic hit Oslo and my husband and I were working from home, like most people.  The pandemic and COVID tests seemed to take our focus for that year. Since training centers were closed, we were often out for walks. On one of our routes, a regular uphill path, we noticed that I always started coughing. So in spring 2021, I contacted my GP requesting new medication for my pollen allergy. My GP was not available and so got an appointment with a young substitute doctor who prescribed a new medication but also referred me for an X-ray. 

The wait feels like an eternity

Luckily, I did not have to wait for a long time due to the health insurance scheme my employer offers. My appointment for the X-ray was at the end of June. A few days later, I received a call from the radiology center saying that they had referred me to the University Hospital in Oslo. Though they do not say anything much, I have a bad feeling about this, my mother’s story could repeat itself. Neither my mother or I ever smoked. I remembered that it was a shock for us when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. 

Through July, I had several examinations at the hospital and was told early in the process that they were examining me for cancer. My husband and I told our sons that the test results did not look good, and that the doctors were checking for cancer. Despite the hospital appointments, we as a family decided to go on our planned summer holiday in Norway, It meant driving to and from the hospital for all the tests.  The waiting in July felt like an eternity, and it was good to be together as a family at this difficult time.

Most of our family live far away from us, in India or North America, and so we chose to say as little as possible to those who live far away, until we had the results. The four of us, me, my husband and our sons, knew what was happening and were together in the situation, it meant a lot to me.

I have lung cancer

On 5^th August 2021, I had an appointment with the lung specialist who informed me that I have Stage four lung cancer.  The cancer has spread to both lungs and cannot be operated on. He explained the situation as he drew on a sheet of paper, so that we could understand where the tumors were located. He informed us that my case would be transferred to the Oncology section of the hospital. 

A few days later, my husband and I met the oncologist. The oncologist explained to us the line of treatment recommended by the panel of doctors at the hospital, as well as the side effects that may occur. Luckily, my husband was at the meeting with me, so there were two of us to receive the information. The good news was that the biopsy and other tests showed that immunotherapy was a suitable treatment for me. Immunotherapy would probably mean a better quality of life for me and I could start treatment without delay. We agreed to commence treatment the next day even though we had not heard of immunotherapy. My mother had received chemotherapy and radiotherapy, immunotherapy was new to us all.  

Informing our siblings and the families was difficult, we decided to send a written message and inform everyone at the same time. They were all concerned, some recommended special diets, and others suggested that I consider treatment in India. I needed to be with my family in Oslo and to trust the health system in Norway.  We continued to read about the efforts of the lung cancer team in Oslo, we were confident. 

The treatment started as agreed, the next day. Every three weeks, I received a dose of immunotherapy. The oncologist nurses were very friendly and helped to put me at ease. The first few months, I was anxious, and contacted the hospital whenever I noticed new side effects. The oncologist and nurses that I met over the next weeks were reassuring, and my confidence in the system was strengthened.

Having one oncologist assigned to my case, as stipulated by the health system, was reassuring. However, after six months of treatment, my oncologist resumed her research and I met different oncologists for my periodic checks. This made my situation more challenging. This was later remedied, and I now have a dedicated oncologist to deal with.

Getting radioactive

The cancer remained stable for a long time with immunotherapy. However after a year of treatment, one of the tumors began to increase in size. The immunotherapy did not seem to work on that specific tumor and I was referred to stereotactic radiation therapy, a high-dose radiation delivered from different angles towards a very limited and targeted area of the body. Radiotherapy had the desired effect and immunotherapy was resumed. 

Treatment with immunotherapy is approved for two years in Norway, and as the two-year mark approached, I noticed that I was stressed. I did not know what would happen when the two years were over.

Part 2 : https://francesdsilva.com/2024/08/14/my-story-continues-happiest-together/