A Virginia woman wasn’t experiencing worrisome symptoms when she went for a cancer screening after 35 years of smoking — but when she was told she had lung cancer, she says she felt “blessed” and “grateful.”
Barbara Rodriguez, 53, was smoking a cigarette while reading the Bible in December 2022 when she decided to kick the habit.
Seven months later, in July 2023, she was told she had stage two lung cancer and needed surgery and chemotherapy – but even though the medication made her throw up, she said, she would thank God for the diagnosis. her.
“One day, I’m smoking a cigarette and reading a Bible,” said Barbara, an administrative assistant from Fairfax. “I said, ‘Oh my God, quit smoking,’ and I quit after 35 years.
“I had no symptoms of cancer and felt completely fine, but I went in for a cancer check,” she added, after booking an appointment at the Schar Institute in Annandale, Virginia, on July 14, 2023.
Barbara underwent her own examination and had an MRI scan, PET scan and CT scan.
“A few days later, I got a call to say they had found a lump in my lung and it was stage two cancer,” she said. “When they told me I was like, ‘OK, what’s next?’
She was told she would need a lobectomy, a procedure to remove part of her lung, which she underwent in September 2023. But after the operation, doctors said her cancer was actually stage 3a and had spread in the lymph nodes.
“They found that the cancer was from a mutation and not from smoking,” she said.
“When they told me I felt good, but I have always had a positive outlook on life. I figured if we were going to do it, I wanted to get on with it.
“I told my family and they were dumbfounded. I realized that I was the backbone of the family that held everyone together, so I had to pull it together.”
As a precaution, Barbara had four rounds of chemotherapy.
“Chemo has been the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. I would throw up – it was terrible. “However, every time I spoke, I said, ‘Thank God,’ because it could have been so much worse.”
In January 2024, Barbara rang the bell to signal that she was cancer free.
“You feel bad because you’re with other people who are going to die,” she admitted “I’m sitting there praying for them, begging them to live. I really didn’t like ringing the bell, I don’t know why we still do.”
As Barbara’s cancer was formed by a mutation, she now has to take chemotherapy pills every day to suppress the mutation. She wants to raise awareness about early detection.
“I feel blessed to have been affected by cancer. I’m beyond blessed that they got it – it feels absolutely amazing. I am very grateful to be alive,” she said.
“I feel blessed and grateful, I feel good about my decision of God. Not only would he help me quit smoking, but he would say, ‘Let me get a cancer check.’ It’s not a coincidence.
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