Yovana Portillo was just 34 years old when she was in a car accident that quite possibly saved life. Often lung cancer symptoms do not appear in the early stages of lung cancer.
Yovana and her sister had an accident that landed them at the hospital. Fortunately, both she and her sister were spared any major injuries or broken bones. But Yovana’s CT scan revealed a tumor on her left lung. A CT-guided biopsy confirmed cancer cells. Yovana underwent a lower left lobe lobectomy.
After this surgery, her doctor said she had mucinous adenocarcinoma stage IB. In many cases, Stage 1 cancers can be removed surgically. People diagnosed with Stage 1 typically have a much greater chance of long-term survival. Or even of being cured.
“Because everything was happening so quick, all these new terms, once it hit me mentally, it was two weeks after surgery. And yes, I did a Google search. And I was like, “Lung cancer support group, I need to find other people that have been through this before me, so that I know I can’t do it.” And I ended up finding a local lung cancer support group through the cancer support community here in Arizona, which they have monthly meetings. They’ve been a great part of my life, and that’s where I started sharing my story.”~ Yovana Portillo
Yovana has been a guest on Hope With Answers: Living With Lung Cancer Podcast episodes. Putting her Spanish to use, Yovana is a guest on the Spanish version of the Hope With Answers podcast series, Los Primeros Siete Días (The First 7 Days).
Ready Yovana Portillo’s story: NED Cancer from an Accidental Lung Cancer Diagnosis: Yovana’s Story
