Are there paid research opportunities for NSCLC patients to share experiences?

This looks like a valuable opportunity for patients to contribute to improving lung cancer care while receiving compensation for their time and insights. Focus groups like these help researchers and healthcare professionals better understand patient needs and experiences. For anyone considering participation, it's encouraging that confidentiality is emphasized and that patient voices are being actively sought to advance treatment and care. These types of research opportunities can be meaningful ways to potentially help future patients while sharing your own journey.

As I'm unable to "start a conversation " (there's no "post comment", "save" etc. This has been a frustrating, scary, long and expensive journey. Had an abdominal scan in early December. No one mentioned a "suspicious mass" found on my lung. I discovered it in the report in my patient portal. My primary was away on her Christmas holiday. PET scan January. Needle biopsy February. Bronchoscopy March. Stage 1. Things moved way to slowly in East Tennessee, so we drove to Cleveland Clinic. Awaiting appointment for a surgery consultation and somehow I have pneumonia. I did have the vaccine so maybe this isn't so bad. Strange turns in the weather find me doing lots of sitting indoors, waiting. Shortness of breath is a new scary development. Waiting again.

I know waiting is hard but my doctor told me a I may have had the tumor for a while as mine is slow growing. It is very frightening to hear mass and then find out it is cancer. I was in the hospital in Feb for ? TIA and the CT scan of my head and neck showed a small mass in my left upper lobe. After biopsy, I found the result (adenocarcinoma) on the patient portal. Had the PET scan a few week after the biopsy and next day met with a surgeon who told me my cancer was stage 3 and inoperable. Now it is a few more weeks until I start chemotherapy and soon after that radiation. Take care of yourself. Heal from the pneumonia and have the surgery. Sending a big hug and wishing you well.