Lung Cancer: Cheryl's Story

When I met Cheryl in December of 2003, she'd been diagnosed with stage IV small cell lung cancer a month before. Inoperable and advanced, the prognosis was not good.

It was Cheryl's fervent wish to bring something good out of something so bad that drove her to open the door to her personal life and write about her struggle with the cancer that would eventually kill her. She wanted to help you, dear reader, avoid the pain and heart ache she and her loved ones were forced to endure by sharing the horrible reality that years of smoking had brought her to.

Cheryl ultimately wrote two accounts detailing her battle with lung cancer before we lost her on June 30th of 2005. Thousands of people have read her stories over the years, many of whom have gone on to quit smoking for good with the help of the support forum here at About.com Smoking Cessation.

The Healing World -- Cheryl's Story, Part Two

Cigarette smoking is directly responsible for 87 percent of lung cancer cases in the United States each year, claiming upwards of 158,000 lives of American men and women. Please read Cheryl's story and take her words to heart. What happened to her could happen to any of us. Smoking is a deadly habit, and it will kill you, given the chance.

Lung Cancer Information

• All About Lung Cancer

• Am I at Risk for Lung Cancer?

• Smoking and Cancer: U.S. Statistics

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