I have called everything in my life since AIDS tried to kill me in 2006 my “second act.” And now, I’m beginning to see how Act II has passed through several “scenes.” Scene I was retiring from Technicolor and moving to my house in the Mountain Gate neighborhood of Palm Springs. Scene II was realizing I could no longer live on my own (even with in-home help) and accepting that I am disabled and needed to live in a 24/7 care facility (assisted living). That was a major plot twist. But the best stories always have a surprise that gets thrown in just when things seemed settled. I’m not calling it Act III, but I will call it Scene III of the second act.

I have been diagnosed with lung cancer.

You may recall that a little over a year ago, I was hospitalized with double pneumonia (pneumonia in both lungs), and that in 2013, also in the month of August, I spent 15 days in the ICU with a “dual pulmonary embolism” – the presence of two or more blood clots (emboli) in the pulmonary arteries, blocking blood flow to the lungs. After last August’s pneumonia, a post-discharge CT scan of my lungs revealed a mysterious growth on the upper right lung. The pulmonologist thought it might be scarring from the pneumonia, and followed up six months later with another CT scan. It had grown. So last week I underwent a procedure called a bronchoscopy during which a robotic arm was inserted through my mouth and into my lung via my trachea to biopsy the growth.

As a result of that biopsy, Dr. Patel, my pulmonologist, has concluded it is lung adenocarcinoma:

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common primary lung cancer seen in the United States. It falls under the umbrella of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and has a strong association with previous smoking. While incidence and mortality have declined, it remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

If it weren’t for that pneumonia a year ago, we might never have caught this before it had spread far and wide. It’s funny how things happen. But it was caught, and caught early. Treatment options include surgery (to remove the growth and affected parts of the lung) and radiation. My doctor is cautioning me about the surgical option: he said that because of my HIV/PML diagnosis, he would classify surgery as high risk, and he needs to consult with my neurologist on the impacts diminished lung capacity might have because of PML.

I know I bang on and on about how special my residence – Stonewall Gardens Assisted Living – is, but not without reason. From the Sales & Marketing guy who took me (in his own car) to the hospital at 5am (4 hours before our driver gets in) for the bronchoscopy and got me a vanilla shake afterwards since my throat was rather raw and sore, to the not one, not two, but three caregivers who checked up on me that afternoon after a very invasive procedure and made sure Gordon got fed and let out to go potty, I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else and dealing with this. The men and women who work here are angels in human form, especially our chef who served fish today for lunch but made me chicken with roast potatoes since she knows I don’t like things that come out of the ocean – unless they are battered and fried!

And I am so blessed and fortunate to have Gordon by my side. Call me silly, but I love my dog so much. He must know “something” is up because he has been more snuggly and cuddly and affectionate than usual, even though those are his default settings.

Lights. Curtain. Scene III…