Don’t Delay What Brings You Joy: Finding the Silver Lining in Lung Cancer with Audrey Bellezza

In this episode of Fem MD, Dr. Lauren Umstattd interviews author Audrey Bellezza, who shares how, at age 50—healthy, active, and a mom of two boys—she was blindsided by a diagnosis of stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer. Audrey recounts the shock, the agonizing period of unknowns, and how biomarker testing revealed a mutation-driven cancer.

She explains her targeted therapy treatment, its difficult side effects, and how seeking specialists at Johns Hopkins introduced her to the possibility of a groundbreaking vaccine now in early clinical trials. Alongside her advocacy, Audrey has authored a Jane Austen trilogy and most recently released Anne of Avenue A, blending her love of literature with her mission to inspire hope.

Audrey also founded Love4Lungs, a nonprofit dedicated to funding research, supporting patients, and raising awareness that lung cancer can affect anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle. She leaves listeners with a quote from her latest novel that now guides her life: “Don’t delay what brings you joy.”

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Guest: Audrey Bellezza

Connect with Audrey: @audreybellezzawrites

Love4Lungs: https://www.love4lungs.org/

Anne of Avenue A: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Anne-of-Avenue-A/Audrey-Bellezza/For-the-Love-of-Austen/9781668097656

Presented by: @HippocraticCollective