Page 28 - Inspire Magazine 2019

Anyone who has been diagnosed with lung
cancer knows it can catapult you into a
spiral.

From that moment little else goes in and
you are left feeling overwhelmed and,
frankly, terrifi ed.

Once the initial shock subsides and the
need to understand takes over, many
naturally turn to good old Google. But as
wonderful as the internet is, when it comes
to a lung cancer diagnosis, it may not be
your best friend and often only adds to the
terror.

Lung cancer is complex. There are many
different forms of the disease and the type
and stage you have, combined with your
own health and wellbeing, will dictate what
treatments are available and your personal
prognosis.

So, instead of reading generic, one-size-fi ts all information, it makes more sense to talk to
experts who can answer questions about your unique situation. It certainly made sense to
Larissa Friese-Greene who contacted our ‘Ask the Nurse’ service following her diagnosis.

“As a business intelligence manager for a global company, and the fact that I am a naturally
“As a business intelligence manager for a global company, and the fact that I am a naturally
curious person, researching comes as second nature to me. When I was diagnosed with lung
curious person, researching comes as second nature to me. When I was diagnosed with lung
cancer at 42, I needed to have a greater understanding of my condition. That was when I
found Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s ‘Ask the Nurse’ service.

I used the service many times, often fi nding myself circling back with Nicky (support services
I used the service many times, often fi nding myself circling back with Nicky (support services
manager) on various occasions to ask for advice with regards on how to best go about things.
manager) on various occasions to ask for advice with regards on how to best go about things.

Nicky was my rock and her advice was nothing
short of brilliant. No internet search would have
come up with her answers but, more importantly,
no internet search would have provided me with
the amount of encouragement, calm and level-
headedness that Nicky did.

She and the team were simply outstanding, and I
wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the service to
others in my position.”

Larissa was able to have surgery and has now
returned to work, feeding those fact-based cravings!

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