GROUP URGES LUNG CANCER SCREENINGS

Only 1% of those eligible tested in Calif., nonprofit says

Chula Vista resident Francine Maigue’s journey to being diagnosed with lung cancer started with pain and stiffness in her hip.

When it first started hurting, her sister Theresa Maigue Bendorf said doctors suggested she go to a chiropractor to relieve it. But that didn’t work for the Francine, whose symptoms were atypical for someone who was a very active dancer and choreographer.

Then she got sick with what she thought was a cold or the flu, but her cough never went away. Doctors prescribed her cough medicine, told her to rest and suggested her symptoms might be stress-related.

Maigue Bendorf said that as a previously healthy nonsmoker, her sister had to strongly push for further testing. By the time Francine was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019, it had already progressed to stage 4, spreading to the bones in her hip and back, causing the pain there, and later moving into her brain.

“I think the big takeaway from all this is you have to really advocate for yourself, which she did,” Maigue Bendorf said.

Throughout her treatment, Maigue Bendorf said, her sister stayed positive, especially when she led a team of friends and family during the annual American Lung Association walk in 2020. In honor of Francine, who died last February at age 41, her community will continue to raise awareness for lung cancer and the benefits of early screening during the nonprofit’s upcoming Lung Force Walk at Liberty Station on Jan. 29.

Although — as a nonsmoker under 50 — Francine’s journey to diagnosis was difficult, there are many people who automatically qualify to be screened for lung cancer. Yet the national nonprofit reports many aren’t receiving