Stanford prof. turns terminal cancer diagnosis into life-changing lesson for students, world
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Professors often teach about their latest scientific discoveries, but every so often, an extraordinary teacher comes along who teaches us something far more profound-about ourselves, our humanity, and how to face life's greatest challenges. Dr. Bryant Lin, a Stanford Medicine professor, is one such teacher.
At 50 years old, Dr. Lin is facing a devastating diagnosis: terminal stage 4 lung cancer. What began as a persistent cough last spring - a symptom he initially attributed to allergies - turned out to be something far more serious. Despite never having smoked a day in his life, Dr. Lin's cancer had already spread throughout his body, including to his brain and bones.
"Terminal stage 4 lung cancer is not considered curable," Dr. Lin explained. "Because of the low survival rates within five years, it's considered a terminal cancer."
The odds are unfavorable - just 10% for five-year survival - but instead of retreating from his work or focusing solely on personal time with his wife and two teenage sons, Dr. Lin decided to turn his diagnosis into something meaningful. He created a groundbreaking course at Stanford titled "From Diagnosis to Dialogue: A Doctor's Real-Time Battle with Cancer."
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The 10-week course last fall was fully enrolled and packed with students eager to learn from Dr. Lin's unique perspective as both a physician and a patient. Each week, he transformed the classroom into what he called a "living lab," where he shared not only the science behind non-smoker lung cancer but also the human side of battling it. Topics ranged from mental health and spiritual support to caregiving and nutrition.
Dr. Lin's wife, Christine Chan, who works as a Google manager, joined him in the classroom to share her experience as a caregiver navigating the overwhelming influx of medical information after her husband's diagnosis. "All the info coming in-I literally felt I couldn't digest it all," she said during one lecture.
No matter how heavy the subject matter, Dr. Lin approached it with his trademark compassion and humor. In one class session, he joked with students about the stages of grief: "You know - anger, bargaining, denial, acceptance," he said with a smile.
His ability to balance vulnerability with optimism left an indelible mark on his students. "Dr. Lin's class really taught me more about what it takes to go through the physician and patient interactions," said graduate student Tom Quach. "It helped me understand how to build that relationship from start to finish."
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While the course based on his cancer journey has concluded, Dr. Lin's work has not slowed down. With therapies currently suppressing his cancer but not curing it, he has continued teaching new classes this quarter and recently led a summit focused on non-smoker lung cancer. He is also collaborating with hundreds of doctors through the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE), which he co-founded to improve health outcomes for Asian Americans - a community disproportionately affected by non-smoker lung cancer due to genetic factors like EGFR mutations and environmental exposures such as cooking fumes or poor ventilation.
"Half of Asian American women diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked," Dr. Lin explained to ABC7 News anchor Kristen Sze. "And we don't know why this is the case." He advocates for earlier screening guidelines for Asian Americans who may be at higher risk due to family history or other factors like secondhand smoke exposure or cooking oil fumes.
Dr. Lin's personal hope is that continued advancements in research will allow him to see his sons graduate from college someday. In the meantime, he finds joy in playing guitar, making pasta from scratch, and spending time with friends and family.
Reflecting on what he has learned through this journey, Dr. Lin shared: "To me, it's become more important to sit there and do nothing - to just reflect and appreciate life with gratitude."
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In his final lecture last fall, he delivered his own version of Lou Gehrig's famous speech: "For the past quarter, you've been hearing about the bad break I got," he told students. "Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth."
Dr. Lin has been named Stanford Medicine's Physician of the Year and will serve as this year's commencement speaker-a testament to his enduring impact on students, colleagues, and patients alike.
For those inspired by his story, Dr. Lin's course "From Diagnosis to Dialogue: A Doctor's Real-Time Battle with Cancer" is now available on YouTube through Stanford Continuing Medical Education.
For information on Asian American health, including lung cancer risks, visit the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education.
