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Woman Diagnosed With Stage 4 Lung Cancer Shared 5 Symptoms Before Passing Away

A woman who passed away after being diagnosed with lung cancer shared five symptoms she experienced.

Linda, from the US, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 34. In an Instagram reel posted on the Young Lung Cancer Initiative page, she shared the symptoms she had before her diagnosis.

The reel was uploaded on October 23, 2024 but Linda sadly passed away on January 13. 2025. She was told that her condition was terminal and the cancer had spread to her brain and her bones.

Below are the five symptoms Linda experienced:

Persistent cough

Speaking in the Instagram reel, Linda said: "The first one is cough. I had a cough for years. I can honestly say it was years."

She added that it started as a light cough but "eventually it was deeper, it felt very painful and it felt piercing" in her chest. Linda urged people to not ignore a persistent cough.

According to the NHS, there are "usually no signs or symptoms of lung cancer in the early stages" as symptoms "develop as the condition progresses". The main symptoms include a cough that does not go away after three weeks, a long-standing cough that gets worse and an ache or pain when breathing or coughing.

Headache

Linda added: "Symptom number two was a constant headache. I would wake up every single morning for over nine months and I would just roll out of bed and take Tylenol."

Cancer Research UK says "it is rare but some types of lung cancer cells produce hormones that go into the bloodstream" and these hormones can cause symptoms "that don't seem related to lung cancer." An example of one of these hormone symptoms is headaches.

Pain in bones and body

Linda said her third symptom was pain in her bones and body. She explained: "Kind of like when you stub your toe that initial like throbbing pulsating pain." The NHS and Cancer Research UK both identify chest or shoulder pain as a symptom of lung cancer and Macmillan Cancer Support says a less common symptom is pain in the shoulder travelling down the arm.

Tiredness

Linda continued: "Number four: I was definitely exhausted beyond belief and out of breath. I literally had to take shallow breaths due to the pain that I was feeling every time I was inhaling or exhaling."

Persistent breathlessness and persistent tiredness or lack of energy are two of the main symptoms of lung cancer, according to the NHS.

Nausea

The last symptom Linda experienced was nausea as she said that she was "definitely very, very nauseous." Cancer Research UK lists feeling and being sick (nausea and vomiting) as one of the hormone symptoms of lung cancer.

Linda's Instagram post has garnered 929,000 views, 14,000 likes and more than 1,800 comments. She gave more information about her cancer journey in the comment section: "I went to my PCP, urgent care and the ER weekly for months - called multiple times a week about my symptoms.

"Only x rays ordered and repeatedly told 'you're young, you're fine, it looks like pneumonia.' A CT or referral to pulmonology was not ordered until I filed a complaint."

One user said: "Thank you for sharing this information.This will absolutely help me and I hope others to look out for the symptoms."

Another added: "Linda by speaking out about your experience with delayed diagnosis you are helping so many other young adults understand this disease can also happen to them and understanding the early symptoms could be a game changer for them! Thank you for speaking up and out about YLC!"

If you have experienced any of these symptoms, you should speak to a GP. It's likely not to be cancer, but it's important to check if you're worried.

US Navy Vet Defeats Cancer With Experimental Treatment, Faith

The American flag (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Dennis Cantrell)

A United States Navy veteran recently revealed that an experimental immunotherapy treatment and his faith both played key roles in helping him defeat cancer.

According to Fox News, U.S. Navy veteran John Ryan, a resident of Aldie, Virginia, was diagnosed with lung cancer after serving in the U.S. Military for three decades. During a recent interview, Ryan told Fox News that he was part of the "nuclear power program" and participated in roughly a dozen patrols on nuclear submarines during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Fox News reported that after retiring from active military service in 1992 and retiring full-time in 2000, Ryan was diagnosed in 2013 with stage 4 adenocarcinoma, which is also known as non-small cell lung cancer. Despite going through four sessions of chemotherapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Ryan's condition did not improve, and he began to experience weight loss, fatigue, pain, and pleural effusion.

In 2013, Ryan was enrolled in a clinical trial for immunotherapy, an experimental treatment that fights cancer with a patient's own immune system. The Navy veteran told Fox News that after four infusions of nivolumab over nine weeks, his medical scans showed that the tumor had reduced by 65%.

"The 65% shrink was great and then that just kind of walked down – I was down to like 84% shrink," Ryan said. "And I was leading a normal life."

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In addition to the immunotherapy treatment, Ryan told Fox News that he also went through a special type of radiation treatment called stereotactic body radiation therapy, which led to the arrest of his tumor with limited side effects.

Fox News reported that the Navy veteran's immunotherapy treatment lasted 100 months and required over 225 infusions. However, the outlet noted that Ryan is now cancer-free.

In his interview with Fox News, Ryan emphasized the importance of his faith throughout his battle with cancer. "You've got to draw your hope and courage from somewhere," the veteran said. "Faith was high."

Ryan explained that he also received great advice from a Walter Reed nurse regarding his health during his cancer battle.

"She said, 'Let's cut to the chase, sonny boy, if you don't take this, you're going to die.' I said, 'Well, let's sign off on it, shall we?'" Ryan told Fox News. "And she said, 'You need to take this seriously. Don't look for things to worry about, because you can get really wrapped around the axle with the pressure and the uncertainty.'"

Ryan said the nurse added, "Working yourself up into a frenzy has absolutely no value. Get a good night's sleep, shake it off, and the next day you'll have some blessings you can at least get started with."

Former White Sox, Red Sox Pitcher Battling Stage 4 Cancer: Report

A hard-throwing closer who helped the White Sox win their win their most recent World Series appearance is battling Stage 4 stomach cancer.

According to Scott Merkin of MLB.Com, Bobby Jenks is being treated for Stage 4 adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, at a hospital near his wife's family in Portugal.

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Merkin reports that Jenks also lost his Pacific Palisades home — and his personal baseball memorabilia — in the fire that burned through 23,707 acres in Southern California in January.

Jermaine Dye #23, Bobby Jenks #45 and Mark Kotsay #30 of the Chicago White Sox in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics during the 1929-themed turn back the clock game at the... Jermaine Dye #23, Bobby Jenks #45 and Mark Kotsay #30 of the Chicago White Sox in the dugout before the game against the Oakland Athletics during the 1929-themed turn back the clock game at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on August 16, 2009. More Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

"You know, the s--t I was doing in my 20s and early 30s, no normal person would have survived," Jenks told Merkin. "So, in one way, I'm grateful to be alive. In another way, I'm not surprised this happened. It goes to show you have to take care of yourself from top to bottom with nutrition and exercise and having a good daily plan."

"I'm not saying you need to turn yourself into a Greek god, but you need to watch what you put into your body. Unfortunately, in my 20s, it was the last thing on my mind, being worried about what was going in. I'm not saying that's 100 percent the factor of what happened here."

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Jenks had a brief but memorable seven-year career. He debuted in July 2005 with the White Sox and by October of that year, was hoisting a World Series trophy as the team's closer.

Over the next five seasons, Jenks made two All-Star teams and averaged 33 saves a season.

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The White Sox non-tendered Jenks after a 2010 season in which he posted a career-high 4.44 ERA. Prior to the 2011 season, Boston signed Jenks to a two-year, $12 million contract, but saw him pitch only 19 games in a Red Sox uniform before he was released in July 2012 with a 6.32 ERA.

That would mark the end of Jenks' major league playing career.

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Jenks won the Pioneer League championship in 2022 as the manager of the Grand Junction Rockies. In 2024, he managed the independent Windy City Thunderbolts, and told Merkin his goal is to return to manage the team in 2025.

The White Sox have also scheduled a 20-year World Series reunion for the weekend of July 11 which Jenks would like to attend in person.

For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.

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