Diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017, Lidia initially responded well to her chemotherapy treatment. But the tumor soon returned and grew aggressively, eventually taking up a large portion of her right lung volume and causing significant pain.
Lidia became increasingly convinced she was not receiving state-of-the art care. On the advice of family and friends, she travelled from her home in North Carolina to meet with Dr. Kathryn Arbour, a medical oncologist specializing in lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She also began medication, but the side effects—sleeplessness, substantial pain and vision loss—were almost too much to bear.
Though Lidia relied heavily on her faith, she grew increasingly fearful and began losing hope. Recognizing the lack of improvement, Dr. Arbour stopped Lidia’s medication and referred her to Dr. Charles Simone, Chief Medical Officer at the newly opened New York Proton Center in Manhattan.