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A teacher attributed her chest discomfort and coughing to stress and a recent relocation, but her students deserve credit for saving her life as they encouraged her to see a doctor.

Aurora Lucas, 32, from Chicago, she mentioned that her chest pain began when she was moving houses in August 2021.

Lucas tried to ignore the symptoms in an effort to avoid spending $250 on a doctor’s visit. However, when her condition didn’t improve, she saw a physician in September, whom Lucas claimed told her she ‘looked fine’ and advised her to ‘drink warm water and honey.’

She kept experiencing chest pain and felt extremely exhausted, which she attributed to the moving process and the pressure of her hectic teaching schedule.

However, while teaching, Lucas mentioned she “was unable to complete her sentences without coughing.”

Her pupils and coworkers urged her to consult the physicians again, and following a deterioration in her condition, Lucas visited the emergency room multiple times between September and November 2021.

In the end, Lucas was unable to walk due to severe coughing, and after several months of fluctuating conditions, she was scheduled for a PET scan to obtain detailed medical imaging at the end of November.

A month later, Lucas wasidentified as having third-stage lung cancerafter scans showed she had three tumors the size of limes in her lungs.

Lucas stated, “I reached a significant milestone in August 2021. I purchased my first house, but rather than celebrating, I felt extremely tired.”

That’s when the initial chest discomfort appeared, and I believed it was due to the entire situation being so stressful.

I even called my sister, who is a nurse, and she thought it might have been anxiety.

Since Lucas had recently spent a significant amount on relocation, she was reluctant to spend more on medical care, and she was keen on resuming in-person teaching in 2021 following her online instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, Lucas mentioned: ‘I found it extremely difficult to perform my duties. I was highly exhausted and had a lot of coughing. I could hardly drive myself home.’

I was nearly falling asleep while driving — such was the extent of my exhaustion, and my husband began picking me up.

Both of us believed it was due to my overworking and excessive stress.

Lucas was encouraged to see a doctor by both her students and colleagues, but states she was told by physicians that she “looked fine.”

Lucas stated, “It was my students and coworkers who observed that I struggled to complete my sentences without coughing.”

I was constantly exhausted, experienced chest discomfort, and often woke up during the night due to intense back pain.

The persistent cough refused to subside despite using cough drops and taking medication.

The physician said, ‘You look fantastic, you should return home, boil some water, and mix in some honey.’

I was too shocked to utter a word.

Following several months of discussion, Lucas finally underwent a PET scan in November 2021.

Lucas stated, “I frequently visited the emergency room due to those symptoms from September through November.”

I was coughing intensely, to the extent that I could hardly move.

In December 2021, Lucas was diagnosed with stage 3A lung cancer. The five-year survival rate stands at around 36 percent.

In total, lung cancer impacts approximately 226,000 Americans each year, with around 124,000 projected to succumb to the illness in 2025.

Stage 3A lung cancer is a form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) where the tumor has exceeded 5cm in size and has spread to lymph nodes in the chest area.

Approximately 85 percent of lung cancer cases are classified as NSCLC.

The special education teacher acknowledges she felt ‘relieved’ to finally receive a diagnosis after months of uncertainty.

Lucas stated, “When the physician entered the room, I asked, ‘It’s cancer, isn’t it?’ and he responded, ‘Yes, it is.’”

I saw three tumors on my X-ray in my right lung, each about the size of limes, and the cancer had spread to the central area, including the lymph nodes.

I felt very relieved. I was extremely anxious from not having any answers, and many doctors kept saying it was nothing.

Lucas had two cycles of chemotherapy that began in January 2022, followed by a month of radiation therapy.

Starting from March 2022, she has been consuming daily targeted therapy medication and remains under regular medical monitoring with scans every four months.

Lucas stated, “I only needed two sessions of chemotherapy. I decided against surgery and recommended we proceed directly to targeted treatment.”

The targeted therapy medication, despite having some side effects, allows me to lead a fairly normal life. I have been using it since 2022, and it’s still highly effective for me today.

They haven’t confirmed that I’m cancer-free yet. They plan to monitor me with scans for another two years, but I still need to undergo scans every four months.

The growths have reduced and the physicians compared it to ice melting under the sunlight.

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