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I Have Stage 4 Lung Cancer but I Never Smoked

Suzanne Wells

The "retired" Associate Dean for Health Professions at Florida Southwestern University says she has spent the last 9 months on a roller-coaster of health services from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and locally. She was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer despite never having smoked or been around a smoker. Suzanne Wells last brought us a couple of personal essays two years ago when she was participating with the Fulbright program as a visiting professor in Russia.

Though her prognosis is poor she shares her story with us today. 

Copyright 2015 WGCU

Amy Tardif is WGCU’s FM Station Manager and News Director. She oversees a staff of 10 full and part-time people and interns in news, production and the radio reading service. Her program Lucia's Letter on human trafficking received a coveted Peabody Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, a gold medal from the New York Festivals and 1st place for Best Documentary from the Public Radio News Directors Inc. She was the first woman in radio to Chair RTDNA, having previously served as Chair-Elect and the Region 13 representative on its Board of Directors for which she helped write an e-book on plagiarism and fabrication. She also serves on the FPBS Board of Directors and served on the PRNDI Board of Directors from 2007 -2012. Tardif has been selected twice to serve as a managing editor for NPR's Next Generation Radio Project. She served on the Editorial Integrity for Public Media Project helping to write the section on employee's activities beyond their public media work. She was the producer and host ofGulf Coast Live Arts Editionfor 8 years and spent 14 years asWGCU’slocal host of NPR's Morning Edition. Amy spent five years as producer and managing editor ofWGCU-TV’sformer monthly environmental documentary programsIn Focus on the Environment and Earth Edition.Prior to joiningWGCUPublic Media in 1993, she was the spokesperson for the Fort Myers Police Department, spent 6 years reporting and anchoring for television stations in Fort Myers and Austin, Minnesota and reported forWUSFPublic Radio in Tampa. Amy has two sons in college and loves fencing, performing in local theater and horseback riding.