Mother’s life back on track after lung cancer diagnosis
The family did not celebrate Christmas until the end of January and a wedding planned for March was postponed.
But because the cancer was detected at its earliest stage, Marian, a reformed smoker now in her early 50s, can look forward to enjoying family events again.
Yesterday, the mother of three grown-up children from Walkinstown, Dublin, told the first ever Women Against Lung Cancer breakfast briefing in Dublin how the early diagnosis gave her a new lease on life.
Marian, who gave up smoking eight years ago, was first diagnosed with pneumonia last November when she went to St James’s Hospital in Dublin complaining of shoulder pain and breathing difficulties.
While being treated for pneumonia, a lesion was detected on her left lung and cancer was confirmed in further tests in December.
When told she had cancer Marian watched as the rest of her family fell apart.
“I could not allow myself to cry because they were crying so much. I had to show them I was alright,” she said.
Marian said she could not believe the effect the cancer was having on her family and friends, and was heartbroken when her son decided to postpone his marriage.
While surgery to remove the cancer was successful, Marian developed a wound infection just before Christmas and remained in hospital until January 16.
“We celebrated Christmas Day on January 20 with children, grandchildren, family and friends. We all enjoyed a festive dinner of chicken curry,” said Marian.
Last month Marian and her husband, Noel, celebrated the end of her chemotherapy at home with champagne for the adults and ‘goodies’ for their six grandchildren.
Chief executive of the Irish Cancer Society (ICS), John McCormack, said every year around 1,500 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed and a similar number die from the disease. He said that the society wanted to draw together influential women from a variety of trade and professional organisations, from the political arena and from other business circles to learn more about this “often neglected” cancer and ask them to spread the prevention and awareness messages from their various constituencies.
Medical director of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation in Britain, Dr Jesme Fox, pointed out that the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is 70%, the rate for bowel cancer is 50% but the rate is just 10% for lung cancer, with six months being the average time between diagnosis and death.
Those wanting advice or support on quitting smoking can call the National Smokers’ Quitline at 1850 201 203 (8am to 10pm daily).
