Stories of Hope

Estrea Janoson New York Diagnosed in September 1998, in her 40s Stage IA adenocarcinoma “Life is precious and short. I am embracing life each day and I don't know if all of these good things would have happened had I not had lung cancer.”

Estrea Dworkin Janoson is embracing life -- two lives to be exact. The eight-year lung cancer survivor has four and a half year old twins, Lara and Justin, born three years after her lung cancer diagnosis. "Strange as it may sound, it is because of lung cancer that my husband and I became parents. We realized life was too short to go through it without experiencing the joy of kids."

Janoson's journey began in September 1998 when abdominal cramps forced a visit to her internist. A CT scan revealed an anomaly near the bottom of her left lung. Although her internist down-played the significance of this finding, he did recommend that Janoson get an immediate biopsy.

"When we first had that conversation, it didn't even occur to me that it could be lung cancer," says Janoson of her experience. "I hadn't smoked in 13 or 14 years, had quit at a fairly young age and had not smoked much or very long. I really didn't even have any idea I was at risk."

Moving quickly, two weeks after the CT, she had selected a surgeon and underwent a lobectomy after a biopsy revealed a malignancy while she was still in the operating room. "After recovering from the surgery, the first emotion I dealt with was anger," says Janoson of learning the facts about lung cancer. "I was angry that as a former smoker I had been misinformed about the risks."

The anger fueled Janoson's drive for information and to make a difference. The result was the first online support message boards that she founded and directed with fellow survivor, Dave Grant. "We found that it was impossible to find support for those of us dealing with this terrible disease so we decided to change that using the fastest growing medium avaialble -- the Internet."

That community, Survivors for Lung Cancer Awareness and Support, became a lifeline for hundreds of members who looked to it for support. With Janoson's and Dave Grant's help, that membership recently became the foundation for our LCA Survivors Community, the Lung Cancer Alliance's new online support efforts.

Janoson has been diligent in getting the best follow up care available. "I learned all that I could, so I would know what to expect if it did come back," says Janoson of her attitude since surgery. "It gave me peace of mind, in case something showed up." With eight years now behind her, Janoson is feeling confident that she has beaten it for good.

Janoson has moved beyond her disease. "It really kind of defined my life for a very long time," says Janoson, who had previously discussed having children with her husband. "The diagnosis put the whole thing on hold. But, after I reached the year and half milestone without a reoccurrence, we reevaluated." As a result of that thinking and some technological intervention, Janoson gave birth to twins -- a boy and a girl -- right before Thanksgiving in 2001. "I was ecstatic -- two healthy babies and an instant family!"

Unfortunately, in 2003, Janoson and her husband were dealt another medical crisis when their daughter was diagnosed with Autism. A beautiful, bright child, Lara has been getting the best education and therapy possible and has made marked improvement. "I still can't believe that this has happened to my adorable little girl. But, like with my lung cancer diagnosis, I am optimistic." And, now she has two causes to fight for.