Meet actress, activist and New York Times best selling author Annabelle Gurwitch. She is a two time finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor Writing, the author of five books, and writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times,The Washington Post, amongst other publications, she co-hosted the popular TBS series “Dinner and a Movie,” for six years along with press appearances including The Today Show, CBS Early Show, Oprah, and Real Time with Bill Maher.
A lung cancer diagnosis was a shocker. In the spring of 2020, She’d gone for a routine Covid test and left with a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. Annabelle published an account of her diagnosis in a widely read Op-Ed in the New York Times and made an appearance on Good Morning America to encourage early testing and keeping regular doctor’s appointments during Covid. Annabelle’s story of an accidental lung cancer diagnosis is not uncommon amongst lung cancer patients. In Annabelle’s case, getting an accurate diagnosis included identification of her biomarker, EGFR Exon21. Identifying her lung cancer biomarker set her on a treatment course that is manageable as well as saving her life. Now Annabelle is in a position to “pay it forward” by reaching out to others who may benefit from hearing her story. She continues to chronicle issues relating to inequities in care and survivorship in The Washington Post and other media outlets. She gives talks about survivorship issues at conferences and for groups around the world.
Listen to Annabelle share her lung cancer journey on this episode of Hope With Answers Living With Lung Cancer Podcast:
Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Annabelle Gurwitch: When lung cancer goes citrus
Annabelle was a captivating hostess putting her experience from “Dinner and a Movie” to full use at LCFA’s inaugural gastronomical challenge and fundraiser, Day at the Chef’s Table on Oct 2, 2021.
