that—butSarawasstunned.Hermother,whohadlosther
best friend to lung cancer, began crying.
Thedoctorswantedtostarttreatmentrightaway,andthat
meant inducing labor to get the baby out. For the
moment, though, Sara and her husband, Rich, sat by
themselvesonaquietterraceoffthelaborfloor.Itwasa
warmMondayinJune.ShetookRich’shands,andthey
tried to absorb what they had heard. She had never
smoked orlived with anyonewhohad. She exercised.
She atewell. Thediagnosis was bewildering. “Thisis
goingtobeokay,”Richtoldher.“We’regoingtowork
throughthis.It’sgoingtobehard,yes.Butwe’llfigureit
out.Wecanfindtherighttreatment.”Forthemoment,
however, they had a baby to think about.
“SoSaraandIlookedateachother,”Richrecalled,“and
we said, ‘We don’t have cancer on Tuesday. It’s a
cancer-freeday.We’rehavingababy.It’sexciting.And
we’re goingto enjoyour baby.’”OnTuesday,at8:55
p.m.,VivianMonopoli,sevenpoundsnineounces,was
born.Shehadwavybrownhair,likehermom,andshe
was in perfect health.
Thenextday,Saraunderwentbloodtestsandbodyscans.
PaulMarcoux,anoncologist,metwithherandherfamily
to discuss the findings. He explained that she had a
non-small cell lung cancer that had started in her left
lung.Nothingshehaddonehadbroughtthediseaseon.
Morethan 15 percentoflungcancers—morethanpeople
realize—occur in nonsmokers. Hers was advanced,
havingmetastasizedtomultiplelymphnodesinherchest
anditslining.Thecancerwasinoperable.Buttherewere
chemotherapy options, notably a drug callederlotinib,