PIX11's Kaity Tong shares lung cancer diagnosis

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- PIX11 News anchor Kaity Tong has been diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer, she revealed on Instagram.

Here's the message from Kaity Tong:

"Hello from Home. I have some news to share. I was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Me, a nonsmoker my entire life!

But the doctors told me this diagnosis is increasingly common among Asians, especially women, who are nonsmokers. That would be me. And maybe that’s YOU. And that’s why I’m sharing this.
If you fit this profile I urge you to talk with your doctor and determine whether you should get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms. It was through a routine chest X-ray after an especially bad cold that my cancer was detected.

I was lucky. Stage One. So the cancer was found before it had a chance to spread. I had robotic surgery to remove the tumor. I am now recovering at home. It’s been a slow but steady recovery. Mainly to restore my breathing to normal and to help the rest of my lungs compensate for the loss of one lobe. Baby steps. I’ve been off the air at @pix11news for a few weeks now and hope to be back by mid-January.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my surgeon Dr. James Isbell and his Team and to the wonderful staff who took such good care of me at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Dr. Isbell tells me I am now cancer-free. No chemo or radiation needed. And a very low chance of recurrence.
And I want to thank all of you for letting me share this news. If my journey encourages even one person who fits this profile to get a checkup leading to early detection, I will be grateful.

Wishing you all a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season! Kaity"