THIS
THIS PAST
THIS PAST SATURDAY, BRIAN & EMILY DANIELS WERE IN
BOULDER...WATCHING
CU BEAT STANFORD AT
FOLSOM
FIELD...ALONG WITH
THEIR YOUNG
CHILDREN, PAIGE &
BRADY.
BRIAN WAS AN
HONORARY CO
>>>
>>> THIS
>>> THIS PAST SATURDAY THEY WERE WATCHING THIS FOOTBALL GAME
IN BOULDER.
IN BOULDER. HE STARTED 45 GAMES FOR SEE YOU
IN 2000.
IN 2000.
IN 2000. HIS CONNECTION WITH THE
UNIVERSITY COULD BE THE REASON
THAT EMILY IS STILL ALIVE.
21 MONTHS AGO SHE WAS DIAGNOSED
SUDDENLY WITH LUNG CANCER, A
SHOCKING DIAGNOSIS FOR ANYONE,
ESPECIALLY A NON-SMOKER.
SHE DELIVERED HER BABY BOY AND
THEY WERE ALSO BEGINNING THIS
BATTLE WITH CANCER.
THE DIRECTOR OF THORACIC
ONCOLOGY IS HERE TODAY.
THANK YOU FOR COMING IN TODAY.
EMILY, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THAT
YOU HAVE PLENTY TO DEAL WITH.
AND SUDDENLY YOU WERE TOLD OUT
OF NOWHERE THAT YOU HAD STAGE 4
LUNG CANCER.
LUNG CANCER. IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE.
>> IT WAS SHOCKING AND
DEVASTATING.
DEVASTATING. I WAS HEALTHY, OR SO I THOUGHT.
I FELT GOOD AND I WAS ACTIVE IN
I JUST HAD THIS TIGHTNESS IN MY
CHEST AND ENDED UP GOING TO THE
ER AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE
4 LUNG CANCER.
IT WAS LIFE-CHANGING.>> BECAUSE
OF BRIAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH
MANY DOCTORS THAT HE HAS KNOWN
THROUGH HIS YEARS OF PLAYING
FOOTBALL TO GO TO THE MEDICAL
CAMPUS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS
DIFFERENT PATH BEGAN FOR YOU.
>> HE MADE A COUPLE OF CALLS AND
ALL FINGERS POINTED TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO HOSPITAL
AND WHEN WE GOT THE NEWS THAT
THE CANCER HAD SPREAD, WE FELT
A LOT OF HOPE WHEN ME AT THIS
DR. AND HE SAID I HAVE A PLAN
FOR YOU NO MATTER WHAT IT IS.
AND MONTH AFTER MONTH WHEN I GO
THERE, HE DOES HAVE A PLAN.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
ODDS OF A NON-SMOKER THIS YOUNG
-- WE THINK OF YOUNG CAN'T LUNG
CANCER OF PEOPLE THAT SMOKED.
>> THIS IS A GROWING INCIDENTS
AMONG PEOPLE WHO WERE NEVER
SMOKERS.
SMOKERS.
SMOKERS. IF YOU TREATED NON-SMOKING LUNG
CANCER AS ITS OWN DISEASE, IT
IS ONE OF THE TOP 10 THAT ARE
OUT THERE.
OUT THERE. SPOKE WE THINK OF IT AS
BELONGING TO SMOKERS.
IT IS INTERESTING OF HOW YOU
HAVE PURSUED HER CANCER.
IT IS LIKE A MEDICAL DETECTIVE
TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE AND
HOW IN WAYS TO ATTACK AND YOU
COME UP WITH CREATIVE METHODS.
WHAT HAVE YOU DETERMINED, AT
LEAST IN HER CASE?>> IN A SENSE
IT IS LIKE AN ORGANISM WE ARE
TRYING TO FIND AND IT KEEPS
ADAPTING TO WHATEVER THE
TREATMENT IS.
TREATMENT IS. SO I MAY HAVE SAID WE HAVE A
PLAN, I HAD TO RENT TO THEM
PRETTY QUICKLY.
PRETTY QUICKLY. >> THERE HAS BEEN PROGRESS MADE?
>> ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAD TO
DO IS WHEN SHE WAS BLOWING
THROUGH THE STANDARD DRUGS WAS
WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING THAT HAD
NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE AND THAT
WAS WE HAD TO TAKE A BIOPSY OF
THE CANCER AND GROW IT IN THE
LAB, SOMETHING THAT MOST PLACES
COULD NOT DO IN ALL OF THE
NORMAL TESTS DID NOT SHOW WHAT
WAS DRIVING IT.
SOMETHING ELSE HAD TAKEN OVER
BUT BY GROWING THE CELLS WE
COULD IDENTIFY ITS FOOTPRINT
AND ADD IN ANOTHER DRUG AND
THAT IS A YEAR AGO.
AND EMILY IS THE POSTER CHILD
FOR A BRAND-NEW COMBINATION
THAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE.>> THE
IMPACT COULD BE BROAD.
WHAT IS YOUR PROGNOSIS AT THIS
POINT? WHAT IS YOUR MEDICAL
STATUS?
STATUS?
STATUS? BUT I DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT
PROGNOSIS BECAUSE I LIKE TO
LIVE WITH A LOT OF HOPE.
EVERY DAY I AM LUCKY TO BE HERE
IN EVERY DAYS A FIGHT.
I FEEL PRETTY GOOD RIGHT NOW
FOR ME CANCER STANDPOINT I
WOULD SAY I'M STABLE, BUT I
WILL ALWAYS HAVE CANCER.
I ENJOY EVERY DAY AND I LIVE
THE BEST THAT I CAN.
>> YOU HAVE PLENTY TO DO
BECAUSE YOUR MOTHER.
BUT YOU ARE ALSO USING THAT
STRENGTH IN TIME TO BE AN
ADVOCATE FOR OTHERS.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.>> WE STARTED
AN ORGANIZATION CALLED LINKS
FOR LUNGS.
FOR LUNGS. WITH HOSTED GOLF TOURNAMENTS TO
RAISE MONEY FOR THE UNIVERSITY
OF COLORADO AND MY DOCTORS
RESEARCH BECAUSE THEY HAVE
PROVIDED HOPE. THESE OPTIONS
WERE NOT HERE FOR ME 10 YEARS
AGO.
AGO.
AGO. AND
AGO. AND THEN JUST CONNECTING PEOPLE
AND BEING ABLE TO BE A VOICE
AND A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND
HELP FOR PEOPLE.
>> CONTINUE TO DO THAT AND
CONTINUE YOUR WORK.
WE APPRECIATE YOU