Mother of 2 Thought She Had a ‘Very Bad Cold’ That Wouldn’t Go Away. Then Doctors Found ‘Cancer Everywhere’

Toward the end of 2023, Heather Quintana began feeling under the weather with a persistent cough. As a mother of two who often caught seasonal illnesses, she didn’t think much of it.

By Christmas, she was relying on lozenges constantly, yet the cough never improved. In February 2024, her symptoms worsened — congestion, fatigue and wheezing made her think she might have pneumonia.

“I was having a very bad cold, and it became worse with extreme lung congestion and fatigue,” she says. “I started to wheeze. I thought, ‘This cold really got worse. Maybe I have pneumonia.’”

At urgent care, an X-ray showed cloudiness in her lungs, and she was treated for suspected pneumonia with antibiotics, steroids and inhalers. But after three days, she returned — still feeling just as sick. Another X-ray showed no improvement, prompting the technician to recommend she see a pulmonologist.

In late March, her primary care doctor ordered a CT scan, which revealed nodules in her lungs. Days later, the pulmonologist reviewed her scan and offered two options: try new medication or undergo a bronchoscopy to sample the nodules. Exhausted from uncertainty, she chose the procedure.

After the bronchoscopy, the doctor gave her the news — the sample was cancerous.

Still needing a clearer picture, she was referred to an oncologist who ordered a PET scan in April 2024. When the results arrived on a Sunday — with no doctor available — she read the report in disbelief.

“The PET scan results say that I have cancer in my lungs, I have cancer in my liver and I have cancer in my lymph nodes. I have cancer everywhere.”

Fear set in immediately. With her husband, she struggled through the emotional weight of the diagnosis. He had already experienced cancer loss in his family, and the news hit him hard.

“I told him, ‘We’re gonna have a different outcome here,’” she recalls. “Don’t think I’m gonna end up the same.”

When she tried contacting her oncologist, she learned the doctor was on vacation for two weeks. That was the turning point.

“Instead of breaking down and crying, I said, ‘I need immediate help, and this is not the doctor for me.’”

She reached out to friends and colleagues in the music industry — many of whom were connected to cancer charities or support groups. Through one coworker’s contact, she was connected to City of Hope and secured care within a week.

There, she met Dr. Ravi Salgia, head of lung oncology. After reviewing her tests, he discovered a genetic mutation driving uncontrolled cell growth. What she believed were lingering cold symptoms turned out to be Stage 4 EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer — an advanced, incurable but treatable form.

Dr. Salgia immediately laid out a plan.

“He said, ‘We’re gonna put you on a treatment plan and throw the whole kitchen sink at this thing. Are you with me?’” she remembers. “And I said, ‘Yes, I am with you.’”

Her treatment began with Rybrevant — a targeted therapy — along with pemetrexed and carboplatin chemotherapies. She also underwent radiation to address cancer in her bones.

She stayed at City of Hope for almost eight days, meeting the entire radiation team and finding strength in their support. Despite the shock of hearing she had stage 4 lung cancer, her team reassured her that long-term treatment could keep the disease controlled.

Dr. Salgia emphasized staying off “Dr. Google,” urging her to trust her personalized medical plan rather than online sources.

Her treatment schedule became intense: radiation to the hip, neck and brain, followed by rest, then cycles of carboplatin, Rybrevant and pemetrexed. Today, she’s on maintenance therapy once every four weeks, with frequent scans.

After six treatments, she finally saw hope.

“The cancer kept shrinking and shrinking and shrinking.”

Her experience taught her a message she hopes others remember:
“Don’t trust Dr. Google. Find a healthcare provider you feel comfortable with. Trust your care team and know that they’re giving you the best medication regimen.”

Although she isn’t “cured,” she has found stability and hope in treatment. She continues working, sharing her story and leaning on her support system.

“I can’t tie a neat little bow on this story saying I’m cured,” she says. “But I can live a very normal life. I can continue to do that for decades and hope that as long as I hang in there, a cure could be found. I take it a day at a time.”