How One Latina Fought the ‘Invisible Disease’

When she turned 50, Jacqueline “Jackie” Marino quit smoking. A year after the Puerto Rican native and resident of Fairfax Station, Va., kicked the habit as a gift to herself and in response to her son's pleas, she felt in great health... ...except a nagging sinus infection in 2014. Jackie went to an allergist about her sinus infection. Because she had coughed up blood, the doctor sent her for an imaging evaluation; it showed a spot on her lung. Could it be lung cancer? Lung cancer, dubbed an “invisible disease,” often doesn’t manifest until diagnosed in later stages, when there are fewer chances for long-term survival. For Latinos, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for men and second-leading for women, according to the American Cancer Society. Jackie needed ...