Day 20: Denise Cutlip, survivor. "I saw the hopelessness in my family’s eyes when I was diagnosed and I want to help alleviate that for others."

PROFILES IN LUNG CANCER
Lung Cancer Awareness Month 2015

Day 20: Denise Cutlip, Lung Cancer Survivor
"I saw the hopelessness in my family’s eyes when I was diagnosed and I want to help alleviate that for others."
Twitter: @dennycee

Her connection to lung cancer-
Denise is no stranger to lung cancer. Her father passed away when she was just 15 from mesothelioma from working in boat yards and the plastic industry. She then lost her mother to adenocarcinoma lung cancer in 2006 shortly after being diagnosed. So when Denise was diagnosed on 10-10-10 with stage IV adenocarcinoma, her first thought was “Oh crap! What can I do to live longer than 6 months?”

She was given 15 months to live and she felt like she lost all of her independence. She did some research and later connected with other survivors on Inspire. Learning and sharing with others in her position is what gave her courage and hope to carry on. Even though her family just wanted her to rest, she did not want to be a burden on them. So she slowly started doing little things around the house, not only to contribute, but to also feel like a productive person again. She also started with short walks down the driveway, which eventually graduated to down the street, and then to a whole mile. She was finding her “new normal.”
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