When you're diagnosed with HER2 lung cancer, most people around you have never heard of it. In this final episode, Samantha and Loryn talk about what it meant to find each other and a community that actually understands. They cover where to find other HER2 patients, how social media opened doors that didn't exist before, what YLCI has meant to both of them, and why connection changes how you navigate this disease.
This is Part 3 of a 3-part conversation. Watch Parts 1 and 2 on our channel.

Thanks to Boehringer Ingelheim for sponsoring this series.

YLCI retains full editorial control.

Chapters:
00:00 The Importance of Community in Cancer Journeys
02:17 Finding HER2 Positive Lung Cancer Patients
04:11 The Role of Social Media in Advocacy
06:46 The Impact of Young Lung Cancer Initiative
08:58 Navigating Support Systems
11:44 Building Connections and Future Initiatives


This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Two women with HER2 driven lung cancer open up about what treatment, grief, and living with stage 4 really looks like from the inside. This is what people don't see.
Samantha and Loryn were both diagnosed with HER2 lung cancer in their 30s. In this episode they share what their treatment journeys actually looked like, why second opinions changed everything, how a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis reshapes your identity and relationships, and what they're still grieving that the people around them never see.
HER2 mutated ung cancer affects roughly 2 to 4 percent of lung cancer patients. But the medical side is only part of the story. This conversation goes deeper into what it means to live with this diagnosis as a young person, a parent, a partner, and a patient who is still figuring out how to plan for a future that feels uncertain.
Topics covered in this episode:
What HER2 lung cancer treatment actually looks like, including traditional chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and when to consider switching
Why both Samantha and Loryn sought multiple opinions and how that shaped their care
How lung cancer changes your sense of identity when the things that defined you start to shift
The impact on careers, relationships, and the caregiver-patient dynamic
What it feels like to grieve your future while still being here
How to balance planning ahead with living in the present when you scan every few months

Thanks to Boehringer Ingelheim for sponsoring this series.

YLCI retains full editorial control.

Chapters:
00:00 Navigating the Journey of HER2 Lung Cancer
01:37 Treatment Experiences and Decisions
03:27 The Importance of Second Opinions
04:48 Advocating for Yourself in Treatment
06:41 Impact on Personal Identity
09:16 Changes in Relationships and Daily Life
12:22 Emotional Challenges of Cancer
16:22 Balancing Future Planning with Present Living

⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

"I Googled it. It says poor prognosis. It put me in a really dark place." -Samantha
Samantha Murrell and Loryn Fadus are two young women living with HER2 mutated ung cancer. In this first conversation, they sit down with YLCI co-founder Leah Phillips to talk about the road to diagnosis- the missed windows, the misdiagnoses, the shock of hearing "stage four," and what they wish they had known from the start.

This is Part 1 of a three-part conversation. Parts 2 and 3 cover treatment decisions, living with HER2 lung cancer, and what community has meant to both of them.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:53 Samantha's first symptoms
02:32 Hearing the diagnosis
03:42 Stage four and an initial prognosis
04:30 Discovering HER2 Exon 20 Mutation through biomarker testing
05:23 "I thought lung cancer was the one I couldn't get"
07:14 Loryn's symptoms and the path to diagnosis
13:44 Learning about HER2 and finding hope
15:02 What to tell your newly diagnosed self
16:02 Misunderstandings about oncogene driven lung cancer
18:32 What's coming in Part 2

This series is proudly sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. YLCI retains full editorial control of all content.

⚠️ Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.