I lost half my right lung to cancer. Pope Leo's diagnosis gives me hope

When Pope Leo told the crowd in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that doctors had found "a small, localized nodule" in his lung, the reassurances came fast. Most nodules are benign, media medical experts quickly said. Probably nothing to worry about.

I heard the same reassurances about my own lung not long ago. They were wrong then, and on Tuesday the Vatican confirmed they were wrong now. The nodule was adenocarcinoma, lung cancer. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of the Holy Father's right lung through a few small incisions...