Page 4 - Inspire Autumn/Winter Edition 2017

Shan Evans

She

Saved Me

As our Lung Health MOT
Check shows, early detection
is key to improving people’s
chances of beating lung cancer.
We all have a part to play in
achieving that, as Shan Evans
knows better than most.

Shan lost her ex-partner to lung
cancer. Yet, when she developed
a persistent cough, it was only
thanks to her GP practice
receptionist that she saw a
doctor in time to be diagnosed
at an early stage.

Shan had noticed her cough
around three or four weeks
earlier. As she was about to go on
holiday, she called into her
doctor’s surgery, hoping to be
seen before she went away.

This was in early 2016. The
previous Boxing Day, the streets
of her home town, Hebden
Bridge in West Yorkshire, had
been submerged by floods. Like
many of the townsfolk, Shan had
helped with the clean-up
operation after the floods
subsided. In the process, most
had to wade through some badly
polluted water.

In the weeks that followed, the
town’s GP practice was kept
extremely busy dealing with
scores of cases of respiratory
infections. Shan thought her own
cough was just such a ‘bug’ –
but it wasn’t:

“The cough actually seemed to be
getting better, but I thought it would
be a good idea to have it checked out
by a doctor anyway.

4 Inspire 2017