Maria Delgano I was born in 1939 in Washington, DC, of Puerto Rican parents. My family had no history of cancer, though my father had smoked for his entire adult life.
0-19 years My family was poor, and I grew up angry and rebel-lious at what I perceived to be life’s injustices. I was a poor student in school, and by 14 was smoking two to three packs of cigarettes a day. By 15, I was drinking with my friends; at age 17, I was hospital-ized a couple of times for injuries related to street fights.	20-39 years As an adult, I finally found a job as a transport clerk in the subway system. The job paid reasonably well and came with a good health care plan, but I was busy with my four children and did not regularly seek health advice. I knew the doctor would tell me to eat better and to stop smoking and, for sure, I didn’t want to hear that! I developed a troublesome cough in my mid-30s, but explained it away as the result of my damp environment of the subway system. By then, I was wishing I had a different type of job, but I didn’t really have any skills or qualifications. Because I couldn’t afford to quit working, I stuck it out.
40-59 years As I aged, my coughing and wheezing continued to be a problem, especially during the three to four times a year when I had a cold or the flu and couldn’t breathe. I stayed active at work and in my family, until age 59 when a serious attack of chest pain sent me to the emergency room. Subsequent X-rays revealed lung cancer, with metastasis to my bones.	60+ years Doctors treated my cancer with chemotherapy, not so much as a cure, but to improve my survival time. They warned, though, that even if the cancer responded well to the treatment it would return within a few years. Today, I live with my oldest daughter, who scolds me when I do too much and trigger an attack of coughing and chest pain. I am proud of my family’s accomplishments and am hoping to be present when my oldest grandson graduates from college next year. ·