"Seeing my daughter grow up was something that I focused on."
This Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we asked people what advice they’d give to themselves back when they were diagnosed with lung cancer. Their answers may surprise you – because their answers are more hopeful than you might think.
For Joey, a persistent cough quickly turned into an unexpected lung cancer diagnosis, until lifesaving surgery that gave him a second chance at life with his then-newborn daughter.
Joey has been cancer-free for eleven years, and he needs you to know that early diagnosis, supportive care, and a little faith can create lung cancer survivors like him.
There’s more reasons than ever to be hopeful about lung cancer, but don’t take it from us. Take it from Joey:
Know the signs of lung cancer
In the early stages, lung cancer may have no signs or symptoms at all. But for some – like Joey – there are signs that urgently need to be checked out:
- A stubborn cough that won’t go away (which could make it difficult to sleep)
- Coughing up blood or rust-coloured sputum (phlegm)
- Laboured breathing, shortness of breath, or wheezing
- Chest pain (deep in the lungs when lifting, coughing, or laughing)
- Chest infections like pneumonia that are frequent and hard to get rid of
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss and appetite loss
With lung cancer, it’s better to know – and to know early. And you don’t have to go through it alone. Reach out to us – we can help.