Going For Fourth Gold Medal, Devastated Olympian, 25, Says She ‘Forgot About Paris Games While Supporting Husband Battling Cancer

Power of Support During Cancer

• Olympic gold medalist Maddie Musselman, 25, alongside her water polo team, is chasing a fourth consecutive medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, Musselman is juggling her attention between training and supporting her husband, who’s battling lung cancer.
• Musselman’s husband, Pat Woepse, was diagnosed with NUT carcinoma. This type of cancer is rare and can grow anywhere in the body, the National Cancer Institute says. It’s primarily discovered in the head, neck, and lungs. Common symptoms for this type of cancer include unexplained weight loss, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and pain.
• Lung cancer is hard to catch in its early stages because it often doesn’t cause symptoms until it’s already spread beyond the lungs.
• Treating lung cancer depends on the cancer’s location and how advanced it is. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of any of these treatments.
• Loved ones of people battling a disease or cancer can show their support by getting involved and showing that you care, which can relieve added stress and anxiety. Helping with everyday tasks such as household chores or meal preparation are helpful ways to show support.

Olympic gold medalist Maddie Musselman, 25, is preparing to continue her winning ways at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, amid her intense training, the water polo champ is looking out for her husband, who was diagnosed with lung cancer . Musselman, a key player in the U.S. women’s water polo team, is part of the pursuit of a fourth consecutive gold medal at this year’s Olympic games. The news of her husband Pat Woepse’s cancer was a devastating blow, but it also revealed the couple's strength and resilience. As Musselman shared with The Associated Press, her focus shifted from water polo to her husband, demonstrating the depth of their love.

“I kind of forgot about water polo for a bit, to be honest. I want to be with Pat right now,” Maddie Musselman said in an interview with the Associated Press. “For us, it’s always about remaining positive,” Woepse added. Musselman competed in water polo and won gold medals in 2016 and 2020. Although she continues to train regularly, hoping to earn gold medals in three Olympic games in a row, her husband, Pat Woepse’s cancer diagnosis also worries her. Woepse is also a swimmer. While training to swim across the English Channel, he started experiencing unusual symptoms. He specifically had a nagging cough he couldn’t shake. He went to see his doctor, who performed several tests, including an X-ray and a CT scan that revealed he had two tumors. According to NBC Los Angeles, Woepse was diagnosed with NUT carcinoma. This type of cancer is rare and can grow anywhere in the body, the National Cancer Institute says . It’s primarily discovered in the head, neck, and lungs. Common symptoms for this type of cancer include unexplained weight loss, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and pain. Treatment options typically include surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy, depending on the individual characteristics of the tumor. Despite his lung cancer diagnosis, Woepse didn’t want his decorated wife to pause her thriving career so soon. “Pat, from the beginning, was like, ‘You’re not stopping playing water polo. I love watching you play,” Musselman told the Gettysburg Times. “I know how much it means to her. I know how hard she works, how invested she is,” Woepse said.

Not surprisingly, Musselman is determined to support her husband’s fight. Meanwhile, Woepse says he’s using his wife as a source of inspiration to fuel his cancer journey. “My only goal is to make it to Paris and watch her play…I’m going to support her every step of the way,” Woepse said. Woepse is undergoing chemotherapy as part of a clinical trial for the rare cancer.

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Understanding Lung Cancer

Lung cancer forms when cancer cells develop in the tissues of the lung. It is the second most common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality in both men and women in the U.S., SurvivorNet experts say. It’s “completely asymptomatic,” says thoracic surgeon-in-chief at Temple University Health System Dr. Joseph Friedberg . “It causes no issues until it has spread somewhere. So, if it spreads to the bones, it may cause pain. If it spreads to the brain, it may cause something not subtle, like a seizure,” Dr. Friedberg adds. WATCH: Detecting lung cancer in the absence of symptoms. Scans such as X-rays can help doctors determine if a shadow appears, which can prompt further testing for lung cancer. Lung cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms until it has already spread outside the lungs, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. There are two main types of lung cancer, which doctors group together based on how they act and how they’re treated. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type and makes up about 85% of cases. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is less common, but it tends to grow faster than NSCLC and is treated very differently. Smoking causes most cases of this cancer. Tobacco smoke contains a mixture of more than 7,000 different chemicals, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports . If you quit smoking, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing the disease and dying from it.

Supporting a Loved One Facing a Health Challenge

Research published in The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine studied the impact of disease on family members. It found, “Most chronic diseases have similar effects on family members including psychological and emotional functioning, disruption of leisure activities, effect on interpersonal relationships, and financial resources.” If you have a loved one fighting a disease or cancer, SurvivorNet has some ideas to help you better support your loved one. Simple tasks like helping with household chores or running errands can do wonders for your loved one who’s diagnosed. These tasks can make all the difference in relieving stress when the effect of chemotherapy brings on fatigue, for example. Other ideas to help your loved one battling cancer include cooking, bringing prepared meals, or doing an activity you enjoy together. The support helps put your loved one battling a disease or cancer more at ease, as they may be overwhelmed with anxiety after a diagnosis or during intense treatment. “There are a number of common things cancer patients can experience,” Dr. Shelly Tworoger, a researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet. “Anxiety, depression, financial toxicity, social isolation, and PTSD,” Dr. Tworoger said, are all emotions cancer warriors may experience and can be eased by loved ones. If you are a caregiver of your loved one facing a diagnosis, it is important to maintain your mental and physical health. “Caregiving is the most important job in the universe because you are there through the highs and lows,” Julie Bulger , manager of patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet. Caregivers must also watch out for “ caregiver burnout ,” where stress, anger, fatigue, and illness emerge from putting another person’s needs ahead of their own. Caregivers who struggle to care for a cancer warrior should seek out a therapist or a support group, either online or in person.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you find yourself diagnosed with lung cancer and are concerned about the long-term impacts, here are some questions you can ask your doctor.

• Has my cancer spread to other parts of the body?
• Based on my cancer stage, what are my treatment options?
• What are the side effects of my recommended treatment?
• Are there ways to help minimize the effects of treatment?
• How long will I be unable to work or carry out my daily activities?
• What financial resources are available to get the treatments I need?