Breathless to Breakthrough: A Non-Smoking Mom Defies Stage 4 Lung Cancer

Summer Farmen, a 44-year-old Pennsylvania mom with three kids, began experiencing severe breathlessness in early 2020 and was diagnosed with stage 4 alk-positive lung cancer—a rare, non-hereditary mutation highly treatable with targeted therapy. Though prognosis was grim, she has lived more than six years and become a patient advocate through Alk Positive Inc., funding research, leading support programs, and educating others about treatment options and clinical trials while continuing regular scans and treatment.