We interviewed Amanda Bialack-Stewart about her uncommon story with ALK+ lung most cancers (having been recognized proper after giving start to twins on the age of 36), how she manages to steadiness household, work, enjoyable, and self-care as a affected person, and her lively involvement in ALK Constructive, Inc by way of creating and main the Younger ALKies Group.
1. Inform us just a little about your self, your private {and professional} background, and your journey with ALK+ lung most cancers thus far.
My title is Amanda Bialack – Stewart. I used to be 36 after I was recognized with ALK+ stage 4 adenocarcinoma. I used to be 10 days’ postpartum from delivering my twin boys. My story is sort of unbelievable. Had I not lived it myself I would not suppose it was attainable.
I met Chris, my now husband, in June 2021. In October of 2021 I had a respiratory episode, for which I obtained a chest x-ray and a respiratory check. It got here again regular, and my major care physician mentioned (I’m quoting this) “We are able to do extra testing if you need, however you’re 35, in good well being and there may be in all probability nothing there”. I let it go. In February 2022, I surprisingly (unintentionally) obtained pregnant… with twins! A 1% likelihood of occurring.
My being pregnant was depressing. I used to be nauseous each day for 4 months. Then developed a cough and had a tough time respiratory if I ate. Each physician go to I used to be informed that my discomfort was as a result of I used to be having twins. My excessive coronary heart price was as a result of I used to be pregnant and having twins. My cough was as a result of I used to be pregnant and having twins. My exhausting time respiratory was as a result of I used to be pregnant and having twins. As a result of respiratory turned so tough after I ate, I ended up losing a few pounds throughout my being pregnant. However I didn’t have the kind of being pregnant problems that the docs are on the lookout for, that are hypertension or diabetes. I pressured myself to proceed to work out all through my being pregnant. I swam & did Pilates till I used to be 8 months pregnant and went strolling as usually as I may drive myself.
By commerce, I’ve been a full-time realtor since 2010, so I saved working till I used to be about 7 months pregnant.
Once I was 5 months pregnant I moved in with Chris, his son, Jack who was 10 on the time and my mother-in-law, Maria who was shifting into the ADU to assist us with the twins.
The cough did not go away after I gave start, however the combo of a c-section incision and that cough lastly pressured me to the ER after I was 5 days postpartum. That’s the place they did a chest x-ray and located a plural effusion. The pathology on that began coming again worse and worse and on October 27 I used to be recognized, a 0.1% likelihood of occurring earlier than 40.
My first oncology appointment was on Halloween. My oncologist was so assured that issues could be okay and knowledgeable me of focused therapy for genetic mutations. Whereas I used to be ready for my genetic testing, I discovered ALK +. I met Summer season Farmen who turned my 1st ALKie good friend. I felt like I used to be residing in a horror film, and she or he understood me. My oncologist was thrilled to name me and inform me I used to be ALK + and that she was prescribing Alecensa. Summer season and I rejoiced collectively in each being ALKies. I keep in mind telling her that I needed to do for others what she did for me in these first darkish days. My oncologist has all the time been an optimist. The drugs has labored for me like she predicted. The therapeutic from my being pregnant and the most cancers occurred concurrently and right this moment I’m feeling like I did pre being pregnant, which I’m grateful each day for. My uncomfortable side effects have been manageable and minimal.
My world flipped the wrong way up. In an 18-month interval I went from being a single lady, residing in my bachelorette condominium with my yellow lab, Shlomo, to a fiancée after which spouse. I went from being a canine mother to a mother of dual boys and a stepmom. I went from residing alone to residing with not simply my husband however his mother and all our youngsters. I went from a wholesome, half marathon runner to a most cancers affected person. It was loads.
I by no means did not work. I took off from August 2022 – January 2023, which I had deliberate for principally as a result of the 4th quarter is all the time slower, and I wasn’t going to do a lot throughout that point in any case. In January I went again to work, and in 2023 closed just a little beneath 13 million {dollars}’ value of manufacturing.