Despite appearing to be in peak health and never having smoked, a 45-year-old father of two from Utah was shocked to learn he has terminal lung cancer—with just a 5% chance of surviving more than five years.
In 2023, Chad Dunbar had just wrapped up an intense cycling season, logging over 3,000 miles through the mountains. Not long after, he began experiencing pain and swelling in one of his calves. Initially, he chalked it up to overexertion from the ride, but decided to get it checked out just in case.
“The nurse came in and said, ‘Hey, we think you have lung cancer.’ I was like, no way—there’s no way I’ve got lung cancer,” Dunbar recalled in an emotional video documenting his journey. “I was doing 3,000 miles on my mountain bike every season. My lungs were probably the healthiest part of me.”
His reaction was a whirlwind of disbelief and anger. “It was surreal. It was denial. I was pissed off… I thought, how? Why?”
A Non-Smoker’s Nightmare
Adding to the confusion was the fact that Dunbar had never smoked a day in his life. His loved ones were equally stunned—especially since he had always been a dedicated athlete.
Normal Rewrite:
“No, he never smoked. He didn’t work in a mine. He lived in the clean air of Colorado and Utah,” wrote his brother-in-law, Jordan Reynolds, in a Facebook post. “Chad was in the best shape of his life when Stage 3—now Stage 4—lung cancer appeared at 45. He was a legit athlete.”
The Leading Cause of Lung Cancer
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking is still the top cause of lung cancer in the U.S.
“Cigarette smoking is linked to about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths,” the CDC reports. “Smokers are 15 to 30 times more likely to develop or die from lung cancer than non-smokers.”
A Rare Mutation: RET
After undergoing a series of tests, doctors discovered that Chad Dunbar’s cancer was caused by a rare genetic mutation known as RET (rearranged during transfection). This mutation is aggressive, grows quickly, and is most often found in non-smokers. Unfortunately, in many cases—including Chad’s—the cancer has already spread by the time it’s diagnosed.
For Chad, the disease had already reached his brain, liver, bones, and lymph nodes near his heart. It was confirmed as advanced, metastatic lung cancer.
A Glimmer of Hope
Despite the grim diagnosis, Chad initially responded well to treatment. Doctors started him on a mix of targeted therapies—specifically designed to fight RET-positive cancer—alongside traditional chemotherapy, according to the Daily Mail.
And for a time, the results were encouraging.
“There was big improvement,” Chad shared in the summer of 2023. “Six brain lesions shrank, three spots on my ribs were gone, liver tumors reduced, and the main tumor in my lung kept shrinking. I was feeling good.”
Defying the Odds
But RET-positive lung cancer can be stubborn, often returning in new forms. In March 2024, Chad revealed in an update that scans had detected a new “passenger mutation” in his brain and liver.
Doctors gave him a five percent chance of surviving beyond five years.
After taking some time to process the devastating news, Chad chose to keep fighting—for himself, for his wife Allyson, and for his sons, Walker and Noah.
“Hey, you know what?” he said. “Five percent? I’ll take those odds. Every day is a battle. Hang on for one more day.”
Did you know about RET-positive lung cancer?
It often goes undetected and affects people with no history of smoking. Please share this story to help others recognize the lesser-known signs—like unexplained swelling or pain in the limbs.
