Nichelle Stigger thought she had lung cancer. Doctors didn’t believe her. Six months later, she learned she was right.
By Susan K. Treiman
Reviewed: October 7, 2022
Nichelle Stigger and her son, Parker, who was four when she was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Nicole Stigger was aware that she had cancer. For an entire six months, her physicians didn't think she was real. She claims that the fact that she is both a woman and a Black American has a significant impact. The 40-year-old mother, wife, and teacher is now a five-year lung cancer survivor and an activist who freely shares her experiences and hard-won knowledge to assist others deal with the medical establishment. She claims that "those who look like me" often feel alien and unwelcome in this world.
The ‘Sense’ Of Illness
Stigger was completing her master's degree in education when, according to the Oak Park, Illinois, native, she started feeling "tired, faint, and a bit weird." She attempted to dismiss the symptoms because she was sophisticated and aware about her family's medical treatment. It was a failure.
"There was a day when I couldn't breathe, felt like I was about to pass out, and my heart was racing," she recalls. I proceeded to the emergency room, where a series of tests were performed.
The only abnormality found was a nodule in her lung.
According to Stigger, the doctor argued that the growth was "probably nothing." That had good sound. However, Stigger claims she was plagued by a persistent feeling that something was seriously wrong. I requested a scan from the doctor to determine what it was, says Stigger.
The doctor was uncooperative and opposed to performing the scan. She could have simply consented to do one right away, but we debated for an hour, according to Stigger.
She claims that as a person of color, it was a similar experience that she had before. She claims that as a Black woman, "nobody in medicine actually hears you." You have the impression that the room is empty.
She was able to get a positron emission tomography (PET) scan in the end. The data were analyzed by the doctor, who came to the conclusion that the nodule did not appear suspicious and required "careful surveillance."
For the watching, Stigger was advised to see a lung specialist. She stated her worry about having lung cancer once more. Her worries were likewise disregarded by the doctor.
It was deeply frustrating, says Stigger.
Stigger claims that she felt so furious at the physicians' doubts in her that "tears were simply running down my face." "Even though the doctors said it couldn't possibly be lung cancer, I understood what illness I had. Having read enough to know that this type of cancer may be aggressive and that time is not on your side, I wanted this issue to be fixed.
A follow-up screening was scheduled for six months later.
Hoping For The Best, Fearing The Worst
Stigger left for home and made an effort to ignore his anxiety. There wasn't much she could do. Yet it wasn't simple.
Stigger had a history of having health issues. When her father passed away due to complications from a lifelong hemophilia, she had previously seen the devastation that illness might cause. She was still having trouble caring for Parker, her 4-year-old son, who also had hemophilia.
Despite her best efforts, she couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that something was seriously wrong.
Aaron Stigger, her husband, was understanding and encouraging, but when presented with opposing advice from experts, he didn't share his wife's worries.
Meanwhile, her symptoms got worse.
She claims that she experienced extreme weariness, lost 20 pounds, and occasionally wheezed. This was especially obvious when she had to walk many flights of stairs to go to her classroom. "I was becoming increasingly drowsy and exhausted."
She claims that by this time she had also heard countless tales of other Black women who had passed away from lung cancer. In her darkest times, she believed she would soon pass away because of her cancer. And no one thinks I had a major issue.
In between, she tried to remain calm and trust the experts.
The Diagnosis
When she had her six-month follow-up screening, she had gotten in the habit of being composed and talking herself out of negative thoughts. In fact, she was so at ease that when her doctor called to tell her the results of her test, she didn't answer right away.
When she did return the phone, the news was unambiguous: She had cancer and needed to visit an oncologist right away to talk about what to do next.
She was once again blunt when she went to the doctor. "The doctor declared, "I saw cancer," while seated behind a large desk and far from me. It has expanded. And you'll need to get it taken out. "I told you this," I said. She merely sidestepped the subject and recommended a surgeon to me.
Stigger was determined that she would not be ignored once more on the day of her meeting with the surgeon. She explains that she wanted the physician to "see me and know he was working on a human being, an important human being."
"I informed him that I had recently received my education master's degree. I then showed him a picture of my son, explained to him about his health problems, and said that I needed to live to see him and my husband, recalls Stigger.
She connected with someone. "He paused and turned to face his bulletin board, where images of his daughter and granddaughter — who were my son's and my own ages — were displayed. He took a brief break. "Thank you for sharing," he added. And for all of us, something shifted," she claims.
More Waiting
Stigger had to wait the customary seven days for the biopsy findings after the initial procedure to sample the tumor. The growth, which was particularly gelatinous, needed additional testing even though the cancer had already been determined. The tissue type and stage were determined after one additional week.
Her adenocarcinoma in situ, a non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), appeared to be confined and in an early stage when the news first arrived. The most prevalent type of lung cancer identified in nonsmokers, NSCLC makes up up to 85% of all cases of lung cancer.
Only 1% of individuals have an uncommon form of adenocarcinoma called a mucinous adenocarcinoma, in which a sizable amount of the tumor is made of mucin, an essential component of mucus. She discovered that the scans she had in the ER six months prior were unable to detect it.
It proved to be more difficult than expected to do the second surgery to remove the malignancy and damaged lymph nodes. Her lower left lung lobe and more than 20 lymph nodes were surgically removed.
According to Stigger, "I was told that initially, they couldn't even find all the lymph nodes and that it took them approximately 40 minutes just to get to them."
There was, however, encouraging news. Even with the late diagnosis, the cancer was still in its early stages. She struck lucky. She would probably only require monitoring every three months and no other therapy.
The Support
Stigger claims that she looked for links with people who had gone through comparable situations after the surgery. When she applied for a scholarship to the group LUNGevity's 2018 National HOPE Summit in the Washington, DC, region, she discovered a community of like-minded individuals there. Despite saying she had a good time during the conference, she noted that there weren't many other people of color among the nearly 400 attendees.
There were only two Black people there, but Stigger claims that there were more ladies like her.
Lung cancer is the top cause of mortality in the population and the second most prevalent type of disease among Black Americans, according to her research (PDF).
Stigger claims that in addition to wanting to know why there were so few Black conference attendees, she also wanted to know what LUNGevity planned to do about it.
Andrea Ferris, president and chief executive officer of LUNGevity, was inspired by her follow-up chat to work harder to create a more inclusive company with Stigger's assistance.
According to Stigger, "She said, 'You're right, and I want to hear more. "We began discussing healthcare inequities, speaking with experts about their data, looking for new information, and concentrating on equity issues."
Since then, Stigger has become a member of the LUNGevity board of directors, where she works to make sure that the company continues to place a high priority on equity. Many Black lung cancer sufferers and well-known Black doctors and researchers are now present at the organization's conferences and speakers, including board member Robert Winn, MD, the director and Lipman chair in oncology of VCU Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Virginia. Scholarships for students of color are also sponsored by it.
According to Stigger, "you could tell that things had started to change." And I believed that the work was progressing.
Stigger, her fellow lung cancer patients, and all those hoping to remove the veil of invisibility that makes certain patients, especially if they're Black Americans, feel ignored and unheard, celebrated the development as a significant win.
According to Stigger, "I share my tales to help people understand that this is part of advocacy - for children, parents, and families.
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