When Vicky Oboy was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer in January 2016, she and her family were devastated. But thanks to expert medical care and heartfelt compassion from the team at Aultman Cancer Center, Vicky found not only hope, but also years of life she wasn’t sure she would have.

Before she was diagnosed, Vicky had been feeling unwell for more than six months. She was losing weight and had a persistent cough that no one could quite explain. “The only time I didn’t cough was when I was lying down,” she recalled. She saw multiple doctors, but no one could give her a clear answer.

In December 2015, while on a family trip, Vicky began experiencing severe leg pain. The morning they returned home, she was unable to put weight on her leg. “It felt like the worst charley horse of my life,” she said.

She called her primary care doctor’s office, and before she could fully explain, the receptionist said, “You need to go to the ER.” The doctor suspected a blood clot.

At the hospital, the staff were skeptical at first, but Vicky pushed to have the clot checked. She could tell something was wrong just by the technician’s face. Sure enough, she had a clot stretching from her ankle to her groin. She was immediately put on blood thinners and scheduled for follow-up care.

Vicky’s primary care physician began to piece together the symptoms – leg pain, clotting, coughing and weight loss – and ordered a full-body CT scan. The results showed a large mass in her right lung. A PET scan soon confirmed it was cancer.

Vicky was referred to Dr. Raza Kahn with Aultman Hematology and Oncology. Shortly after the new year, she received the official diagnosis: stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer. It had spread to her lungs, lymph nodes and liver.

“It’s not curable,” Dr. Kahn explained, “but it is treatable.” In that moment, Vicky said all she could hear was the word “incurable.” But Brandi Hahn, the nurse navigator, stayed by her side, gently repeating, “It’s treatable.” That message became her anchor.

Vicky was scheduled to begin chemotherapy, but on the first day of treatment, Dr. Kahn walked into the room with a smile. “I was confused,” she said. “Why is he smiling?”

He told her she wouldn’t be starting chemo that day because her bloodwork revealed she was ALK-positive, a genetic marker that made her eligible for targeted immunotherapy. This meant fewer side effects and a more precise treatment path.

The medication started working within a month. Her tumors began to shrink, and she felt better than she had in months. That treatment lasted almost two years before the cancer adapted.

Over time, Vicky moved through several therapies, eventually transitioning to traditional chemotherapy. For the past seven years, she has received treatment every three weeks. Her total is 113 treatments and counting.

“The cancer in my lungs and lymph nodes is nearly gone,” Vicky said “My liver is still stubborn, but I’m here. I’m still fighting.”

What stands out most to Vicky about Aultman Cancer Center is the people, including her current cancer patient navigator Suzanne LaBuda. “The care is incredible,” she said. “They know you. They know your family.”

When her son was in a serious accident and hospitalized in the ICU, Vicky’s oncology nurses came to sit with her. They brought her flowers, made arrangements so she could get her treatment early and offered support that went far beyond medicine.

She calls Dr. Kahn her hero. “He’s kind and caring and brilliant,” she said. “And everyone at Aultman from the receptionist to the janitors makes you feel like family.”

Her advice to others? Trust yourself. “You know your body better than anyone,” she said. “Even if they don’t believe you, follow through. I’m here today because I kept pushing.”

And above all, Vicky believes in the power of positivity. “Even on the hard days, find your reason to keep going. For me, it was my kids, I wanted to see them grow up. You cry if you need to, then you stand up and fight.”