"Your life has many chapters ahead and the end is not in sight."

This piece was submitted by Gutsy reader, Gladys Barnett. If you have an inspiring story to tell, we want to hear it. Tell us here.

"Your life has many chapters ahead and the end is not in sight." That is what my oncologist told me when I expressed my worry over my third bout with lung cancer.

This confrontation has been the most expanding experience in my 70+ years. My diagnosis was over 5 years ago (non-small cell lung cancer - NSCLC), followed by surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments and now a promising new drug, Tarceva, which is hoped will block the growth of new tumors.

I am fortunate to live in a time when new advances in treatment are on the horizon. I hope my experiences will become the hope for the future. I credit my doctor with being a wise and compassionate man. We are quite a team! The most important lesson I've learned this year is that "one in five cancer patients dies - not of cancer but - of malnutrition". 20% of us! Imagine needing to design my life around 4 or 5 healthy meals/snacks each day - a former-fatties dream come true, though not as easy at it sounds.

And now my challenge is to reclaim some of the activities I've enjoyed all of my life. There is a lot more to living that just being a cancer survivor.