When 45-year-old Chad Dunbar from Utah learned he had lung cancer, he was completely stunned. Chad had never smoked and lived an extremely active life, leading a youth cycling team and riding thousands of miles in the mountains. Just a week before his diagnosis in 2022, he had finished a major cycling challenge and felt healthier than ever.
Chad recounted his experience in a video for RETpositive, a cancer charity. He remembered the disbelief he felt when a nurse told him he might have lung cancer. He thought his lungs were the strongest part of his body and couldn’t understand how this could happen. The news left him feeling angry and full of questions.
By 2024, Chad’s cancer had spread to several organs, including his brain and bones. The only symptom he noticed was pain and swelling in his calf, which he assumed was a sports injury. He was shocked to learn it was actually a sign of advanced cancer.
Lung cancer often causes symptoms like a cough, coughing up blood, breathlessness, or tiredness, but Chad’s case was different. His cancer was caused by a RET gene mutation, not by smoking. This mutation made his cells grow out of control and allowed the cancer to spread to his bones, causing leg pain and weakness.
Even after doctors told him he had just a five percent chance of living more than five years, Chad chose to stay optimistic. He accepted the odds and decided to keep moving forward with hope.
