County Durham lung cancer survivor who nearly died after late diagnosis calls for end of 'smoker stigma'
by Owen Younger · ChronicleLiveA County Durham lung cancer survivor who nearly died after a late diagnosis has called for an end of the 'smoker stigma'. Nick Whitehead from Newton Aycliffe, is now cancer free, but things could have been very different.
Over seven years ago, Nick visited his GP on several occasions for various reasons, all in an 18 month period. During these visits, he mentioned that he was suffering from a persistent cough, being told that it was just a smoker's cough.
However, Nick, who was working away from home at the time, coughed up some blood and ended up in A&E, and he said: "The cough hadn’t really worried me until then.
"I’d had it that long, about two years at that point, so I think I just got used to it. I was still smoking at the time, so being told it was a smoker’s cough made sense, but my wife was more concerned and I guess she was right to be."
This moment marked the start of Nick's diagnosis of stage 3b lung cancer, and he was given just a 50% chance of surviving for the next five years. Fortunately, despite facing significant delays, Nick underwent surgery and chemotherapy and is now cancer-free.
He continued: "Looking back on my diagnosis, I can see that there were many missed opportunities to be diagnosed earlier. We’re constantly told that a persistent cough is a sign of lung cancer so it’s odd that I wasn’t sent for an x-ray at the very least, and I don't know if being labelled as a ‘smoker’ impacted this inaction?"
"I think I wasn’t sent for tests because I was so fit. As a scuba diver, my lung capacity is good, so I wasn’t having any shortness of breath, so I think this is why it was just put down to just a smoker’s cough.”
Nick doesn't blame anyone, and is now back doing what he loves, scuba diving, but he wanted to share his story as part of the Let Go of the Labels campaign from the Roy Castle Lung Foundation.
Nick added: "It’s time we stop thinking about lung cancer in terms of smoking or non-smoking, because it’s clearly having an impact on how long it’s taking people to get diagnosed. I hit all the warning signs; I had smoked for decades, I had a persistent cough, I had back pain and clubbing of the fingers, but I was never sent for an x-ray.
"Surely this suggests we need a new approach because there are thousands of people who aren’t as lucky as I was."
For more information about the Let Go of the Labels campaign, visit the Roy Castle Foundation website here.
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