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‘I felt like I wasn’t alone’ after Pope Leo diagnosis, says lung cancer patient
Confirmed
In Short: Lisa Koester, a 64-year-old resident of Imperial, Missouri, shared with OSV News that her diagnosis of lung cancer has been spiritually uplifting, particularly after learning about Pope Leo's similar condition.
Koester, a former smoker, has been undergoing regular lung screenings for at least eight to ten years. She was recently diagnosed with two concurrent types of lung cancer, a rare occurrence, according to her oncological team.
Dr. Nirmal Veeramachaneni of Saint Louis University and SSM Health ordered a PET scan to detect early signs of cancer, heart, and neurological disorders. The scan confirmed the presence of cancer, leading to additional tests and consultations.
Koester's faith has deepened as she faces her illness. She finds reminders of God's presence in everyday occurrences, such as the pattern of leaves in a tree near her home.
"The fact that I shared such a diagnosis with the pope – I'm kind of touched," said Koester, noting the shared experience with Pope Leo.
Koester, who worked for a decade in oncology, understands the importance of facing the diagnosis with courage. She said, "If the pope can get it, anybody can."
"We don't know the end of the story, and we're in the middle of this journey," Koester said, emphasizing the ongoing nature of her journey.
"A lot of prayer" sustained her during the waiting period before surgery, she noted.
Koester's diagnosis and the pope's shared experience have provided her with a sense of solidarity and comfort.
Background
Pope Leo XIV's doctors said Wednesday that final tissue and molecular tests have confirmed his lung cancer was localized and that no further treatment is needed, the Vatican said in a statement.
The Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Saturday, October 17, 2026, following successful surgery to remove a cancerous nodule from his right lung.
What's confirmed
- (OSV News) – A Missouri woman diagnosed with lung cancer told OSV News that Pope Leo's diagnosis with the same disease has helped strengthen her own Catholic faith amid her illness.
- The 64-year-old Koester, a resident of Imperial, Missouri, said she'd been getting regular lung screenings for "at least eight to 10 years" as a former smoker.
- Koester said she was advised that having two concurrent types of lung cancer is "very rare," but added the small cell cancer, according to her oncological team, may be genetic.
- Her physician, Dr. Nirmal Veeramachaneni of Saint Louis University and SSM Health, immediately ordered a positron emission tomography, or PET, scan, which uses a radioactive tracer to detect early signs of cancer, as well as heart and neurological disorders.
- Now, with additional tests and consultations ahead, Koester is drawing even more deeply on her faith and urging others to get regular lung cancer screenings.
- "My son had just moved back from Utah and got engaged," she said.
- Cancer has brought her "even closer to God," she said – and reminders of his presence are all around, even in the pattern of leaves in a tree near her home.
- "The fact that I shared such a diagnosis with the pope – I'm kind of touched," said Lisa Koester.
- "I look out my bay window every day, and I see this face like Jesus in the leaves," said Koester.
- "My husband, my son, my family were great," she said.
- Koesler said that through their tears, she and her family resolved to face their cancer experience with courage.
- “If the pope can get it, anybody can,” she said.
What's still developing
- Nothing material beyond the confirmed record.