Lung cancer journey leads to undeniable bond between patient and nurse practitioner

Michelle Lipchock went from being told she had just two years to live to now living every day to the fullest.

"It's hard to explain to some people, but I love my cancer," 52-year-old Lipchock said. "It's just an experience that has caused me to wake up and to realize what life gives us and that we get one. We get one body, one mind, one soul and what are we going to do with it?"

Lipchock, who lives in Washington Township with her family, was diagnosed with lung cancer at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual visits, solo treatment sessions and masked meetups became her new normal.

"I had two young children at the time, 13 and 18, who were in very pivotal moments in their lives, seeing a mom who is dying of cancer," Lipchock said. 

However, through the devastating news, a friendship blossomed.    

Lindsay Dougherty, a nurse practitioner at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center Perelman, soon became her rock. 

"She's my support," Lipchock said. "She's my educator." 

"I will never forget that moment, we're talking about treating their cancer, you really just meet them, stripped down, vulnerable, raw," Dougherty said. "And that is beautiful and Michelle is an example of the most beautiful part of humanity in my opinion."

She had Lipchock undergo an immunotherapy option that's not usually used for her cancer type. That decision was life-changing.

"It's one of those miracle things," Dougherty said.

Lipchock also turned to yoga and meditation and found her community.

"I actually feel, ironically, the most healthy I have felt in my entire life," Lipchock said.

She hopes this year's LUNG FORCE Walk can help support others with similar journeys. Money raised at the 12th annual event at the Philadelphia Zoo on May 30 will go toward lung cancer research and advocacy efforts.

"At Penn, I had the beautiful opportunity to be part of research studies," Lipchock said. "That's what this walk is about. With all this new research and the care that I've received, I'm actually able to say I'm still here and I'm surviving cancer."

Six years have passed since she was given just 24-months to live. As she continues to live with cancer, she's exceeding expectations every day.

"I just had a scan a few weeks ago and one of my tumors shrunk," Lipchock said. "Cancer has helped me discover myself."

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