Scanziety: A Retrospection of a Lung Cancer Survivor (English Edition)

In a rare, autobiographical account of a patient undergoing lung cancer treatment, Tom Galli's Scanziety: A Retrospective of a Lung Cancer Survivor recounts his story from surprise diagnosis to No Evidence of Disease, or NED. Presenting with a large tumor nearly filling his right lung main stem bronchus, he leads readers through life changing experiences on an emotional roller coaster. Never alone during his ordeal, Tom is comforted and sustained by the love of his life, yet becomes gripped with anxiety before each periodic chest scan to monitor his condition.
What does it feel like to endure uncertainty between diagnostic scans? How is repetitive treatment failure coped with? How is hope sustained when facing vast uncertainty? What does one look for in choosing a cancer treatment team? Why is lung cancer research underfunded? Scanziety answers these questions as Tom describes his treatment history and its resulting effect on his life.
At publishing, Tom has survived more than twelve years beyond late stage diagnosis a medical and statistical anomaly. He didn t do it alone. His story points to the importance of a caregiver (in his case, wife Martha) and online cancer support communities who provide information and bolster the struggle to endure treatment. Tom's story brings to awareness an understanding of the ravages and prevalence of lung cancer, and the need to arrest its devastation. Through upswings and downturns, readers of this book will gain firsthand insight into a disquieting yet hopeful passage through episodes of scanziety, a sensation experienced by lung cancer patients worldwide.