After wife dies from non-smoking lung cancer , Utah man urges all to test for radon
By UtahRadon . org | Posted - Oct . 6 , 2024 at 8:00 a . m .
Rachel and Todd Smith ’ s daughter and son at Rachel ’ s gravesite . Photo courtesy of Todd Smith . ( UtahRadon . org )
This story is sponsored by UtahRadon . org .
Rachel Smith was a NICU nurse who took care of some of the most vulnerable lives possible until she received her own life‐changing diagnosis — non‐smoking lung cancer .
An avid gym‐goer and mom of two , Rachel was the pinnacle of health before she came down with a cough that wouldn ' t let up . After a visit to the emergency room and a pneumonia diagnosis , tests revealed her body was fighting lung cancer at just 32 years old .
" We went through four different lines of treatment . She had a targeted therapy that didn ' t work . She went to chemotherapy ; that didn ' t work . She went to immunotherapy and also radiation therapy , and none of that worked ," Todd shared . " I had to say goodbye to her at the beginning of November [ 2023 ]."