Nancy Rackear

Nancy Rackear and her sister

Five years ago Nancy Rackear was a cancer caregiver who received her own cancer diagnosis. Now after her own battle, Nancy is fighting once again—this time as an advocate and a fundraiser.

After being the primary caregiver for her mother who passed away in 2001 from cancer, Florida resident Nancy threw herself into her work. Exhausted and worn, Nancy finally took some time for herself and scheduled a routine check-up she had been postponing. Following her sister’s suggestion, she requested a battery of tests and a chest x-ray. Her doctor was hesitant to prescribe the test, because it was not typically covered by insurance. In addition, she felt that as a nonsmoker, Nancy was “not at risk.” However, only a few minutes after she had the x-ray taken, her doctor called to tell her what the x-ray revealed.

Nancy heard the urgency in her doctor’s voice. Immediately she made follow up appointments and underwent a series of tests. The initial reading of the PET scan indicated that the disease had spread to her lymph nodes. Unconvinced that it was cancer, because of a previous history of thyroid problems, Nancy sought a second opinion. The decision was made to operate. A five centimeter tumor was removed and all other scans came back clear, indicating the disease had not metastasized.

Unfortunately for Nancy, the company she worked for was closing its doors and her insurance coverage was to end 30 days after the surgery. Nancy spent much of her post-op time seeking continuing insurance coverage. Therefore, she was unable to pursue additional treatment options, attend support groups, or really cope with the diagnosis. After her insurance situation was resolved, she was able to follow up, and happily the tests revealed no disease progression. Nancy and her doctors decided to simply monitor her situation. This September will mark five years since Nancy’s surgery.

Getting through the shock and challenges she faced took her a long time. As she began to conduct research on the internet, Nancy found that there are many non-smokers who share her diagnosis. Knowing that she has peers has helped her cope with the disease and its impact on her everyday life. Now, emotionally and physically able, Nancy wants to speak out as a representative for those who can’t speak for themselves. “I celebrate every day that I wake up feeling good,” says Nancy. To that end, Nancy has partnered with Joan’s Legacy to raise local awareness and money in Florida so that those who are impacted by a lung cancer diagnosis will not feel as alone as she once did.