Page 17 - Inspire Autumn/Winter Edition 2017

The Need for Speed

“ You can discuss any worries you’re having because sometimes you don’t want to worry your family
with it. I call them my comfort blanket, always there if, and when, I need it!

“I’ve definitely got a new lease of life. I’m going to the gym two or three times a week and have
started swimming again. I even abseiled down the Liverpool Cathedral earlier this year.

“Yes, you read that right – a 68-year-old woman dangling 331 feet up in the air!

“I have to admit, I was a bit breathless climbing up the steps and it did my heart no favours!
But it was a brilliant experience and I’m so grateful I got to do it.”

Kelly’s Story.
“As a healthy 41-year-old who ran five or six times a week, my diagnosis came as a total
shock. In fact, when the doctor first said it was lung cancer, my husband, Jimmy, and I just went home and carried on
decorating the front room! It wasn’t until we were lying in bed at about 3am when it started to sink in. We just looked
at each other and cried.

“They presumed they had caught it early because I had absolutely no symptoms and I had surgery on 19th January –
34 days after first getting diagnosed. Turns out, once they opened me up, I actually had stage 3 lung cancer and it had
spread to some of my lymph nodes.

“Six weeks after surgery, I started chemotherapy. I remember walking in feeling almost like my old self, thinking I could
just carry on as normal. Truth is, I’d leave feeling so ill; I felt worse than after surgery!

“I just focused on the fact that, once it was done, I could go back to work with
my horses – I missed them so much!
Kelly and her
“I’d see my oncologist every three weeks and every time I’d ask if I could go for husband Jimmy
a run. She would say no. It was our running joke until my last visit, and she said yes!

“I was so happy and I haven’t stopped running since. I’m not as fast as I was
but I can still run and that’s what keeps me going. I think if you sit and
dwell on things it makes the recovery a lot harder. You need
something to aim for and think about other than cancer.

“That’s my advice to anyone who has just been diagnosed, or who
is having treatment – if you’re able to get out, do it, even if it’s just
a little walk. Give yourself something to aim for. It doesn’t have
to be something crazy; anything that makes you feel more positive.”

Kelly’s latest crazy challenge was Tough Mudder where she roped
in a couple of her friends along the way too, raising money for
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Who knows what she’ll take on next year…

We hope by the time the next edition of Inspire comes out, we’ll know many more people who have benefitted from the
National Optimal Lung Cancer Pathway.

As the secretariat for the Lung Cancer CEG, we welcome the implementation of the pathway. The needs of lung cancer
patients have been sidelined for too long. While the timeframes are challenging, the benefits will be unprecedented.

Autumn/Winter 17
Expect better diagnosis Expect better treatment Expect better survival rates