Bernie's Story

On September 11, 2013, the doctor diagnosed Bernie Clouse with Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer and told her family that, without treatment, she’d have only 3-6 months to live.

During the next two years, Bernie went through 8 months of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation. Unfortunately, in the beginning, she didn’t qualify for immunotherapy, which is a new kind of treatment that has proven successful for certain types of cancer.

Bernie remembers one afternoon when she left a message for a doctor from the University of Chicago recommended to her for a second opinion. That night, as she finished praying to God for healing, the doctor left a message and said, “Call my office tomorrow and make an appointment for next week.” The timing of his call felt like a sign from God and a response to her prayer.

When Bernie reached Chicago, the tumor had started to press on her superior vena cava, making her face swollen. The doctor recognized this blockage as more urgent than the cancer itself and told her, “You’re about ready to explode.” After a procedure to put in two stents, Bernie continued chemotherapy.

Things seemed to be getting worse for Bernie when she received the news that—despite all the treatments—the cancer was growing again. However, good news was on the way.

Bernie went back to Chicago for an appointment with her doctor, and on her way there, the FDA approved her qualification for immunotherapy. With the hopes of stopping the cancer growth before starting the new treatment, Bernie went through 15 rounds of proton therapy.

After waiting two more weeks, she finally began immunotherapy. Two years later, on August 16, 2016, the doctor told her what she had waited to hear since her first diagnosis. “You are in total and complete remission. There is no evidence of disease.”

Because immunotherapy is still being tested, researchers do not know when it’s safe to take patients off of it, so Bernie continues to receive treatments to this day. While it causes fatigue and weakness, she’s thankful that its effects are nothing in comparison to radiation and chemo.

She’s been in remission for about two years now and continues to receive scans every 3 months.

Through all of her journey’s highs and lows, Bernie has learned how to be positive, how to allow herself time to grieve, how to enjoy each day, and how to prioritize her family and relationship with Christ. “When someone tells you [that] you have six months to live, you learn real quick what’s important and what’s not,” she said.

Gilead Ministries has been one factor that gave her that “extra push.” Bernie has found comfort in knowing that people are praying for her. She’s kept every card and continues to reread them for encouragement.

In the beginning of her journey, Bernie was bombarded with well wishes, prepared meals and cards from all of her friends. But when those kind gestures began to dwindle through the years, Gilead was still there to remind her of God’s goodness.

“I just tend to see God,” said Bernie. Today, she has greater appreciation for the smaller things in life such as watching a hummingbird or a flower that just bloomed. “If you stop and think about it, it’s amazing,” she said.

#cancerismorethanphysical #SharingTheJourney #Cancer #NoOneAlone

(Reported by Annika Peterson from Indiana Wesleyan University)