By Elizabeth de Jong

Elizabeth and Sven de Jong

Unlike most, we didn’t have a slow journey to my diagnosis of stage IV ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer. It was a normal Friday when I broke my femur, which led doctors to discover that I had widespread tumors. From the minute we heard the word “cancer” my husband, Sven, became my rock. He immediately called his friends and business connections for advice when researching the best place for me to seek treatment. He stayed by my side, sleeping in a hospital recliner chair for up to five nights at a time. He held my hand and hugged me the best he could as I lay in traction awaiting surgery to repair my femur. He talked with doctor after doctor and fought for me to get the best care possible. He pushed back when needed, but also listened and took notes when information was flying at us 

As my diagnosis became clear and we had a treatment plan, Sven kept us looking forward. First, it was to focus on getting me strong enough to leave behind my walker, then it was to look ahead to getting me off my cane. He helped me set goals, like fundraising and walking a 5k for lung cancer, to help me get to the next phase of my healing.

The best advice I received during my lung cancer journey was from my oncologist. He encouraged us to keep making memories. So with each scan, each piece of news – good or bad, Sven plans something for us to do. He is always there to make sure that even if the scan is bad, the memory is masked with a memory of a trip or something fun we did together.

Somewhere, I saw a quote that said we beat cancer not only in living longer but in how we face our life with cancer. Because of Sven, I am beating cancer every day. When I’m down, he jokes with me and makes me laugh and smile. He keeps us exploring and having fun, active and making memories. He helps me get out of my head when I’m down and overthinking things. And when necessary, he sharply reminds me that while I may have cancer, I am not dying today and I’m not an invalid – which is just the kick in the pants I need from time to time.

Together, we aren’t just dealing with cancer but we are facing it head on. I may worry about a lot of things because of my lung cancer diagnosis but there is so much more I don’t worry about because of Sven. He is my rock, and a rockstar caregiver.