OFTEN THE CASE.
FOR CARETAKERS AND UNDERSTANDING
HOW DEADLY IT IS, ALSO
TERRIFYING.
GOLFERHOOD LOSS
OF HIS FATHER TO REACH THE
PINNACLE OF HIS SPORT.
BUT IN 2017, JUST WHEN HIS LIFE
AND CAREER SEEMED TO BE ON PAR
TO REACH HIS WILDEST DREAMS
EVERYTHING CHANGED.
>> I GET A PHONE CALL FROM MY
SISTER AND SHE'S CRYING.
MOM HAS LUNG CANCER.
WHAT IS GOING ON?
I GET OFF THE PHONE AND START
BALLING MY EYES OUT.
>> CANCER DOESN'T CARE WHETHER
YOU'RE AN ATHLETE, WEALTHY,
POOR, WHERE YOU LIVE.
IT JUST KIND OF HITS YOU AND
DESTROYS YOU.
>> YES.
>> DAY BROUGHT HIS MOTHER FROM
AUSTRALIA SO HE COULD CARE FOR
HER.
THE NEWS WAS DEVASTATING FOR
DAY, FORCED HIM TO STEP AWAY
FROM GOLF IN THE MIDDLE OF A
TOURNAMENT.
>> I WALKED OVER TO THE MEDIA
CENTER AND GOT INTO, MY MOM HAS
LUNG CANCER AND I DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO.
>> MY MOM'S BEEN HERE FOR A
WHILE AND SHE HAS LUNG CANCER.
AT THE START OF THE YEAR SHE WAS
DIAGNOSED WITH 12 MONTHS TO
LIVE.
>> I'M LIKE WHY.
WHY DOES IT HAVE TO HAPPEN IN
GENERAL?
BUT WHY DOES IT HAVE TO HAPPEN
TO MY MOM WHO HAS NEVER HAD A
DRINK IN HER LIFE, NEVER SMOKED
IN HER LIFE, BEEN PRETTY HEALTHY
THE MAJORITY OF HER LIFE.
>> Reporter: DAY, WHO LOST HIS
FATHER TO STOMACH CANCER WHEN HE
WAS JUST 11 SAYS HIS MOTHER
WORKED AND SACRIFICED SO HE
COULD CHASE HIS DREAMS.
>> I'M SITTING THERE GOING, I
HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH TIME TO SIT
DOWN AND SPEND TIME WITH YOU.
I WISH I COULD TAKE IT BACK.
>> Reporter: FORTUNATELY FOR THE
DAYS HER PROGNOSIS WAS WRONG AND
HER CONDITION WAS UPGRADED.
>> IS THERE A SENSE OF FEELING
INCREDIBLY UNLUCKY AND ALSO
LUCKY?
>> YES, UNLUCKY IT HIT YOU.
>> YES, BUT IT BROUGHT EVERYONE
CLOSER TOGETHER.
IT'S BEEN KIND OF A BLESSING.
I KNOW YOUR MOTHER HAD LUNG
CANCER AS WELL.
WHAT WERE YOU FEELING?
>> IT JUST HITS YOU LIKE, YOU'RE
DOING WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING AND
FIND OUT.
YOU GO FROM LIVING THIS NORMAL
LIFE TO LIKE UPSIDE DOWN.
>> Reporter: LIKE JASON, MY MOM
CLEM TEEN WAS HEALTHY AND FIT.
OUR FAMILY HAD NO IDEA ANYTHING
WAS WRONG UNTIL IN 2015 SHE
PICKED UP A COUGH THAT WOULDN'T
GO AWAY, STAGE THREE NON-SMALL
CELL LUNG CANCER IS OFTEN FATAL.
BY THE TIME IT WAS DETECTED, THE
DISEASE SPREAD THROUGH HER LYMPH
NODES.
THROUGH SURGERY, RADIATION AND
SIX ROUNDS OF CHEMO, SHE NEVER
LOST HOPE AND NEVER COMPLAINED.
SHE'S BEEN CANCER-FREE FOR SIX
YEARS.
MANY AREN'T SO LUCKY.
LUNG CANCER CLAIMS MORE THAN
142,000 LIVES LAST YEAR, BUT
LUCK ALSO FOUND DAY'S MOTHER.
THROUGH AGGRESSIVE TREATMENT,
SHE BEAT THE ODDS.
FOR BOTH OF US, THE MEMORIES ARE
STILL VIVID.
>> I REMEMBER MY MOM LITERALLY
HOLDING HER UP AS WE WALKED.
>> YES.
I'M HOLDING HER LIKE THIS TO TRY
TO WALK HER.
>> THEY'RE SO WEAK.
>> SO WEAK.
>> DAY IS WORKING WITH DRUG
MANUFACTURER ASTRAZENECA ON A
CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE AWARENESS
ABOUT LUNG CANCER AND THE
POTENTIAL OF BIOMARKER TESTING
TO HELP TREAT THE DISEASE EARLY.
DAY'S MOTHER IS HEALTHY.
>> SHE'S LOVING LIFE AND BACK
WORKING.
MY SISTER JUST HAD HER FOURTH
CHILD.
SO SHE'S BUSY WITH LOOKING AFTER
THE GRANDKIDS AS WELL.
THINGS ARE LOOKING UP.
>> Reporter: BUT LIKE MY MOM AND
ME AND MILLIONS OF OTHERS WHO
HAVE SEEN LOVED ONES GO THROUGH
A FIGHT WITH CANCER, DAY SAYS
HIS MOTHER'S EXPERIENCE CHANGED
HIM.
>> I REMEMBER HAVING A PHONE
CALL WITH HER AND I'M SOBBING ON
THE CALL.
I'M LIKE, I WANT YOU TO SEE MY
KIDS GROW UP, I WANT YOU TO SEE
THEM GET MARRIED.
THAT WAS A DIFFICULT
CONVERSATION TO HAVE WITH HER IN
REGARDS TO THAT BECAUSE YOU JUST
NEVER KNOW HOW LONG THEY TRULY
HAVE AND HOW PRECIOUS LIFE IS.
>> WOW.
HE TALKED ABOUT HOW THAT
DIAGNOSIS CHANGED HIS LIFE.
HOW DID YOUR MOM'S DIAGNOSIS
CHANGE YOURS?
>> I REMEMBER I WAS IN THE FIELD
ON A STORY, COVERING A FLOOD.
AND IT JUST HITS YOU LIKE A
FLOOD, ALL THESE EMOTIONS.
YOU CAN'T CONCENTRATE ON WHAT
YOU'RE DOING AND WHAT DIRECTION
YOUR LIFE IS GOING.
EVERYTHING IS CHANGES AND YOU'RE
FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN.
YOU'RE LIVING A LIFE WHERE
YOU'RE HAPPY AND WORKING AND
EVERYTHING CHANGES.
>> DOING SO WELL NOW.
>> YOU WORKED SO HARD FOR US.
YOU WENT UP EVERY WEEKEND TO
CARE FOR HER.
SHE'S GOT A GOOD PROGNOSIS NOW,
DOESN'T SHE?
>> SHE'S CANCER-FREE, MADE IT
PAST FIVE YEARS WHICH IS THE
BENCHMARK.
JASON IS IN THE ZONE WHERE HE'S
WAITING FOR MORE SCANS AND TESTS
TO COME BACK.
IT'S TERRIFYING, YOU WAIT FOR
THE PHONE CALL TO SAY THE SCAN
IS GOOD.
THE NEXT ONE IS IN SIX MONTHS
AND YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP GOING
THROUGH THEM FOR A FEW YEARS.
>> DR. JOHN TORRES JOINS THE
TABLE.
WHAT STRUCK A LOT OF US WAS,
THEY WEREN'T SMOKERS.
HOW DOES SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER
PICKED UP A CIGARETTE OR IN SOME
CASES HAD A DRINK GET LUNG
CANCER?
>> THAT'S THE BIGGEST
MISCONCEPTION WITH LUNG CANCER.
15% OF LUNG CANCER CASES ARE
NON-SMOKERS.
IT HAPPENS MORE IN WOMEN THAN
MEN.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED
WITH MIGUEL'S MOM.
IF YOU LIVE WITH A SECONDHAND
SMOKER OR AROUND SECONDHAND
SMOKE A LOT, THAT CAN HAPPEN.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, THE
BIGGEST BEING RADON IN SOME
HOUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY CAN
CAUSE IT.
THERE'S GENETIC FACTORS,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY
HISTORY.
A PERSON'S OWN GENES CAN MAKE
THEM MORE LIKELY TO HAVE LUNG
CANCER AS WELL.
>> WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS, DR.
TOR RES?
YOU SAID YOUR MOM DEVELOPED THIS
COUGH.
IS THAT THE MOST COMMON?
>> THAT'S THE BIGGEST SYMPTOM.
A PERSISTENT, NAGGING COUGH.
SOMETIMES WHEN IT'S ADVANCED
THEY CAN COUGH UP BLOOD.
THEY CAN GET SHORTNESS OF
BREATH, CHEST PAIN.
A LOT OF LUNG INFECTIONS AND
CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY THEY GET
THEM SO OFTEN.
>> NOT A SCREENING TEST THE WAY
THERE ARE FOR OTHER CONDITIONS.
>> SCREENING TESTS BUT THEY ONLY
RECOMMEND IT FOR HEAVY SMOKERS.
IT'S A CAT SCAN.
>> HOW CAN WE KEEP OUR LUNGS
HEALTHY?
>> I TALKED WITH EXPERTS THE
OTHER DAY.
IF YOU SMOKE, STOP.
IF YOU DON'T SMOKE, DON'T START.
MAKE SURE YOU DON'T VAPE.
DON'T BE AROUND SECONDHAND
DO THE THINGS WE KNOW YOU NEED
TO DO, EXERCISE RIGHT, EAT
RIGHT.
SCREENING IS IMPORTANT.
>> REAL QUICK.
YOU SAID THE PROGNOSIS CHANGED,
THEY THOUGHT IT WAS STAGE ONE.
IT WAS UP TO STAGE THREE.
DO YOU HAVE TO GO IN FOR SURGERY
TO FIGURE OUT HOW BAD THE CANCER
IS?
>> THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS.
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON.
THE STAGES ARE BASED ON MRIs AND
CAT SCANS.
WHEN THEY GO IN FOR SURGERY, THE
MICROSCOPIC CHANGES OFTEN
CHANGES IT.
SOMETIMES IT'S WORSE, SOMETIMES
IT'S BETTER BUT GIVES A
DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS.
>> DR. JOHN, THANK YOU.
MIGUEL, I DIDN'T KNOW THIS STORY
UNTIL THIS MOMENT.
YOU WROTE A BEAUTIFUL ESSAY