One man tells KENS 5 about his cancer journey and all of those that surround him to lift him up.
SAN ANTONIO — Finding out you have a deadly disease is never a pleasant experience, But if you have a good support system and the right information about your illness, the direction you go could save your life.
“I was diagnosed on October 9th of 2024,” said Daniel White, who got the shocking news he had lung cancer. He told us, “I’ve never smoked a day in my life.”
White says he’s always been on the go, always helping others. But lung cancer has taken away much of his strength. White added, “One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do is ask for help. It’s not who I am.”
Just before starting chemo, White was contacted by Massive Bio, for a clinical trial using two immunotherapy drugs. The one he has been given is called Keytruda. He says it has given him more time with his family.
“Everything shrinks down almost a little, little more than 50 percent at this point. And that’s because of the immunotherapeutic drug,” White said.
His doctor, Melissa Crawley from Texas Oncology added, “Daniel’s doing really well. We’ve now had another CT scan that shows some continued evidence of response. And so we’re happy to see that, especially given the amount of cancer that we had seen on his lungs at the time of his diagnosis.”
The CDC says lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. More people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. And more men both contract the disease and die from it than women.
White says he is doing everything he can to avoid letting lung cancer win the battle. He says having a support system, starting with his wife, is a must.
“She’s my everything,” White said. “I couldn’t fight without her. We’ve been married 27 years this year and we have 4 beautiful children.”
He tells us support from his doctor, as well as the clinical trial, have been life savers.
“Anything I need I can pick up the phone. Doctor Crawley’s there,” said White.
“I think it’s really important to say thank you to the patients who do make the choice to go on to a clinical trial because they help everybody,” Dr. Crawley said.
White urges anyone who thinks they might have a serious medical problem to get checked out and get informed. He stressed, “You’re not alone but make sure you get involved.”