Healthy Dad Diagnosed With Terminal Lung Cancer Reveals the One Unexpected Symptom He Ignored
At 45, Chad Dunbar was in the best shape of his life. A dedicated father of two from Utah and an avid mountain biker, he had just wrapped up a grueling 3,000-mile ride when something didn’t feel quite right.
He noticed a strange pain and swelling in one of his calves—not something he’d usually worry about after long rides. But this time, he decided to get it checked.
Nothing could have prepared him for what doctors found.
“A nurse came in and said, ‘We think it’s lung cancer.’ I couldn’t believe it. No way. I ride thousands of miles each year—my lungs should be the strongest part of me,” Dunbar recalled in a heartfelt video chronicling his journey.
Chad was stunned. So was his family.
A Diagnosis That Defied All Logic
Unlike the majority of lung cancer patients, Chad had never smoked. He lived in Utah and Colorado, regions known for their clean air, and had no known environmental exposure to toxins.
“He’s a true athlete,” said his brother-in-law, Jordan Reynolds, in a Facebook post. “Never smoked. Never worked around dangerous chemicals. Just pure bad luck.”
And yet, Chad was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer—later updated to Stage 4.
What Caused It? A Rare Genetic Mutation
Doctors eventually pinpointed the cause: a mutation in the RET gene (rearranged during transfection), which is known to trigger aggressive cancer growth in non-smokers.
RET-positive lung cancer is rare, fast-moving, and difficult to detect early. By the time Chad’s was discovered, it had already spread to his brain, liver, bones, and lymph nodes.
His Only Warning Sign
Shockingly, the first and only symptom he had noticed was swelling and discomfort in his leg—something he dismissed as a muscle strain from cycling.
That “silent” symptom turned out to be a clue to a much deeper health crisis.
A Brief Glimmer of Hope
Chad’s doctors launched an aggressive treatment plan, combining targeted therapy tailored to the RET mutation with traditional chemotherapy.
For a while, things looked promising.
“My scans were improving,” Chad shared in a 2023 update. “Tumors were shrinking in my brain, ribs, and liver. The main tumor in my lung was getting smaller. I actually felt good.”
But RET-positive cancer has a way of coming back stronger.
By March 2024, new mutations had appeared in his brain and liver. His care team delivered a grim prognosis: just a 5% chance of surviving beyond five years.
Fighting Back Anyway
While the news was crushing, Chad refused to give up.
“I let myself have a little pity party,” he admitted. “But then I decided—I’m not wasting whatever time I have left. I’m spending it with my boys, Walker and Noah, and my wife, Allyson.”
“Five percent? I’ll take those odds. Every single day is a fight. And I’m still here.”
Why This Story Matters
Chad’s journey is a sobering reminder that lung cancer isn’t just a smoker’s disease. His only early symptom—a swollen calf—was easy to overlook.
The CDC reports that cigarette smoking causes 80–90% of lung cancer deaths in the U.S., but genetic mutations like RET can strike even the healthiest individuals.
Have you heard of RET-positive lung cancer before? Share this story to raise awareness—and remind others to take even the smallest symptoms seriously.
Let me know if you want this version shortened, formatted for a blog post or Facebook caption, or split with images and headlines for SEO/newsletter use.