Dennis O’Brien’s journey through Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer is a testament to resilience, hope, and the critical importance of advancements in lung cancer treatment. A disabled Veteran who served in the Panama Canal in the late 60s, Dennis’s battle began with an innocuous cough during a vacation in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2011. Initially dismissing it as a minor ailment, the persistence of his symptoms and the urging of his wife and friends led him to seek medical attention, which culminated in a dire diagnosis that would change the trajectory of his life. Facing a prognosis that offered little hope for survival beyond a year, Dennis’s first thought was, “I’m dead.” However, his journey was only just beginning.
Undergoing chemotherapy from January to May 2012, Dennis achieved a remarkable milestone: no evidence of disease (NED) in his bronchial tubes and a 50% reduction in his right lung. Despite the odds, and after enduring six different chemotherapy cocktails and facing the daunting announcement in 2014 that “there is nothing more we can do,” Dennis’s unwavering spirit led him to a clinical trial that would pivot his fate. Known as Patient #751, he participated in 26 bi-weekly intravenous treatments, an experimental phase that tested his immune system’s capacity to defend without ongoing treatment, and miraculously reached NED status.
Facing a prognosis that offered little hope for survival beyond a year, Dennis’s first thought was, “I’m dead.” However, his journey was only just beginning.
Today, Dennis O’Brien is a beacon of hope and a voice of resilience in the lung cancer community. As a proud member of the LCFA’s Voices of Hope: Speaker’s Bureau, he shares his remarkable story of overcoming Stage 4 lung cancer and the significance of faith, family, and cutting-edge medical research in his journey. With eight grandchildren, whose milestones he yearned to witness, Dennis’s story is not just one of survival but of profound triumph and the desire to provide hope and support to others navigating their battles with lung cancer – especially to Veterans.
