Small Cell Lung Cancer Has a Name

For me, its name is Technical Sergeant Darrell Leroy “Fuzzy” Knopfel; I married one of his daughters.

All too often we conceptualize small cell lung cancer (SCLC) as something abstract that happens to other people, or just an “indication” for drugs to treat, a statistic. And I acknowledge that it’s easier to do that rather than to humanize it and to get to know the people who live with, and in some cases die from, this cancer. But the reality is that in each and every case, SCLC has a name, a face, a family, and a story.

Meet “Fuzzy,” as we called Darrell. He was born very poor and lived in nothing more than a shack with an outhouse. His father was a coal miner, and he had to work 24/7 even at a young age as they lived off the land. His grandmother gave him money to attend Clarion University for a year, and when that ran out in 1961, he enlisted in the Air Force – a decision that defined the rest of his life. He served through 1969; the stories from his time in the service could fill a series of books on their own. During his time with the Air Force, he achieved the rank of Technical Sergeant, the 6th rank in the Air Force, and was highly decorated; his awards included the Air Force Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal for service members who display acts of heroism, among others. As is typical of his generation, I had no idea about any of this until recently – he never mentioned any of this to me, and instead always focused his attention on his family, his hobbies, and telling stories of his often-hilarious adventures overseas.

Following his service in the Air Force, he spent a remarkable 32 years at the Pittsburgh International Airport where he ran the air traffic control tower, working literally every day during intense periods like in 1981 when President Reagan fired over 11,000 controllers for violating his order (read about it – it’s fascinating).

He married and had three children, and eventually six grandchildren. I was fortunate to join the family he loved immensely in 1997 when I married one of his daughters. Fuzzy had a lot of great years of watching his kids and grandkids grow up, of telling stories that captured everyone’s imaginations, and of actively striving to reach his bucket list goals. After his retirement, he was an active volunteer, an avid gardener, and frequent blood donor. He even built his own freestanding four-door garage and workshop (who does that in retirement?).

Fuzzy died on June 26, 2011, at the age of 70 after a horrible battle with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). The chemotherapy he was given for his cancer made him feel far worse than the cancer did — but it was working. Unfortunately, he had to take time off from his chemotherapy because of the significant myelosuppression he experienced, and as it happens all too often, that’s when the cancer took over and killed him.

It’s impossible for me to not wonder whether therapeutic options that are now available could have made his chemo bearable for longer, thus improving his chemotherapeutic experience, and perhaps allowing him a better chance to beat the cancer. I can’t help but wonder what he would have accomplished had he lived longer – would he have attended the graduation ceremonies of all of his grandkids? Would we have written the book about his adventures in the military that we joked many times about writing? Would he have upgraded the pool in the backyard where so many great memories were made? Would he have added another bay to the garage (answer: probably)?

Fuzzy’s experience with chemotherapy inspired me to want to join a company whose mission is to improve the lives of those impacted by cancer. And a year ago, I did just that.

Cancer patients like him are counting on companies like mine to do our part to give them a shot at a longer, better, and healthier life.

During Lung Cancer Awareness Month, I’d ask you to think about the many names of SCLC — like Darrell “Fuzzy” Knopfel — and remember the importance of the work we and other companies in our industry are accomplishing on behalf of patients in need. Let’s do this.

What name do you give lung cancer?