“We know there are people out there who are at greater risk of lung cancer and I would just really encourage people to be open and not afraid to take part in the Lung Cancer Pilot”
In May 2023, 53 year old mother of one Janice Coleman from Coolock in north Dublin felt a pain in her side. “I went to my GP and they suspected appendicitis. It turned out that I had a kidney infection and I was sent for a CT scan.
It was during the CT that they happened, by accident basically, to spot something on my lower lung. I was in for a PET scan and they found a 3.2cm lump on the bottom of my right lung.”
“At that point, we didn’t know if the tumour was benign or cancerous – but of course, I was really worried. They did a biopsy and it was 26 June when I formally got my diagnosis and told I had what they called non-small cell lung cancer. I was absolutely devastated to get that news. It was horrible. I had my cousin with me and I really leaned on the support of my family and friends to help me through my cancer journey.”
"My mam died of cancer as well, she had throat cancer that spread to her lung so cancer has been in our life for a long time as a family. "
Janice explains she had been a smoker and has family history with cancer. “Up until about four or five years ago I was a regular smoker but I had given up for my health. When I was 41 years old I had a heart attack and I have stints in my heart. My mam died of cancer as well, she had throat cancer that spread to her lung so cancer has been in our life for a long time as a family. I am the main carer for my younger brother who has down syndrome so when I got my diagnosis, I was really worried about how I was going to manage looking after him, but all my family stepped in. My brothers, my son, my cousins and friends – they were all there to help me through everything.”
For her treatment, Janice was told because her lung cancer was caught so early, she would just require surgery. “I was really nervous and scared for the surgery but the medical team kept reassuring me that because my cancer was detected so early, they said my outlook was good. I went in for surgery on 4 August 2023 and they removed my lower lobe, about 40% of my lung. The recovery was long and hard but I got through it. I was in a lot of pain after the surgery and I had a few infections with the scar but by November, I was more or less better.”
Throughout her cancer experience, Janice says she was able to reach out to nurses in Beaumont for support. “They told me I could ring them anytime with questions and they were brilliant. I felt comfort knowing they were at the end of the phone and I think only ended up calling them once or twice but they always put me at ease.”
“Anything that can catch lung cancer earlier is a great thing as far as I’m concerned."
Janice is sharing her story to raise awareness on the importance of early detection in lung cancer. “It’s great that more and more people are surviving lung cancer – I think when you hear this type of cancer, you think ‘that’s it, I’m going to die’. But thankfully, my cancer was caught early and even though my surgery was scary, my treatment was straightforward. I remember my doctor saying that’s the best urinary tract infection you’ll ever have because it was through that scan my lung cancer was basically caught by accident. I had no symptoms of lung cancer, but I knew I was somebody at higher risk because I used to be a smoker and my family history.”
Janice is encouraging people to be open to participating in the Irish Cancer Society and Beaumont-RCSI Lung Cancer Pilot initiative. “Anything that can catch lung cancer earlier is a great thing as far as I’m concerned. We know there are people out there who are at greater risk of lung cancer and I would just really encourage people to be open and not afraid to take part in the Lung Cancer Pilot. It’s brilliant that so much money is going into lung cancer research and that is only possible through people generously donating and supporting things like Daffodil Day. My lung cancer was caught early and we can catch more people’s lung cancer early with this pilot project.”
Want to get involved in Daffodil Day this year? Join us on March 28, and go all in against cancer! Click the button below to find out all the ways you can take part in Daffodil Day this year!
