While out for a run one day in late 2016, Rachael Malmberg suddenly felt a severe pain radiating from her neck to her rib. Malmberg, 31, was used to pushing through body aches and has a high tolerance for pain. After all, she was a star hockey player for the University of Minnesota and Team USA women’s teams. But when she couldn’t finish her run, she sensed it was something more serious than working out too hard.
After a couple of doctor visits Rachael began to feel soreness under her arm. A CT scan revealed a mass on her lung.
“I’m young and had no symptoms of cancer. So the doctor thought perhaps a recent strep throat infection had developed into pneumonia,” she explained. After a round of antibiotics, a second CT scan revealed no change. “That’s when reality hit that something was very wrong,” Rachael said. The doctors soon diagnosed her with lung cancer that had even spread to her brain.
Rachael was young, in top physical shape and never smoked a cigarette. Searching for answers, she and her husband learned indoor radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Home testing revealed they had a high concentration of the invisible, odorless, carcinogenic gas. They immediately had a radon mitigation system installed.
Undergoing treatment
Rachael endured hours of radiation. Additionally, she underwent a grueling battery of procedures, drugs, tests, hospital visits and staggering medical bills. This left her physically, emotionally and spiritually drained. Thankfully, the lung tumor shrunk enough to be removed safely. With the help of a $20,000-a-month medication, her brain tumor disappeared — leaving her cancer-free, at least for now.
“I don’t want anybody else to go through what I’ve been through,” Rachael said. “Radon-induced lung cancer is preventable, but only if you test and mitigate if the levels are high. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”
Radon gas can be easily measured and affordably mitigated by a professional certified by the National Radon Proficiency Program or state-licensed where applicable.
