A NEW dad was devastated when doctors told him his tickly cough was end-stage lung cancer – despite never smoking a cigarette in his life.
Lewis Daines, who has two toddlers with a third baby due this week, was ‘completely shocked’ when medics found a golf ball-sized mass in his right lung.
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The 35-year-old, who works as an advanced nurse practitioner, had visited his GP three months before his diagnosis after developing a new and persistent cough.
The dad grew more concerned when he began experiencing shoulder and chest pain.
After being convinced by his wife Vicky to visit A&E, Lewis was diagnosed with pneumonia and given a course of antibiotics.
However, two weeks later, Lewis’ symptoms remained the same – and scans identified a mass in his right lung which was confirmed as cancerous.
Further testing revealed the cancer was present in Lewis’ bones, adrenal glands and lungs – and the condition was incurable.
Lewis, who lives in Crawley, West Sussex, is most devastated over missing his three children growing up.
Lewis said: “Back in December, this dry cough started that just never went away.
“There was this 100-day cough going around and I was seeing sick people daily so I didn’t think much of it.
“I was managing it and still doing my day-to-day stuff like going to the gym.
“I finally went to the doctor in February time and the doctor checked me over and concluded that it was just a cough. They weren’t worried.
“I started getting these really bad pains in my shoulder and chest. My wife convinced me to go to A&E because she was getting worried.
“They did a chest x-ray and told me I had pneumonia and gave me two lots of antibiotics.”
However, two weeks later, Lewis was still feeling increasingly unwell and returned to A&E where testing revealed a large mass in his right lung which was ‘likely cancerous’.
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‘ONE SETBACK AFTER ANOTHER’
A few weeks later, further tests found cancer was present in other areas of his body and was classed as ‘end-stage’ and incurable.
Lewis said: “I was completely shocked. I thought that in the worst-case scenario it might be cancer but could be removed.
“So when I was told it was incurable, it was quite hard to take.
“They think it might have been growing there for a couple of years but there were no real symptoms.
“It’s a case of buying time rather than curing. Without treatment, the timeline is around four to seven months.
“With treatment, they just don’t know it’s how you respond to treatment.
“You could respond quite well and have a couple of years, they just don’t know.
“Having a really young family and a wife, you just lose everything. It’s all been one setback then another.
“The hardest bit is not being able to see my children grow up and miss out on all of that.
“My wife is nine months pregnant so it’ll be nice to be here for the birth.
“This is never anything that would’ve crossed my mind in a million years.
“I had no symptoms prior to the cough – I was going to the gym every night, don’t drink, don’t smoke.
“You get quite angry and think ‘why me?’ when people have smoked their whole lives.”
ADVICE
Now, Lewis is urging everyone to push doctors when concerned about their symptoms – and take out life insurance at a younger age.
Lewis said: “Don’t be afraid to push if you think doctors are fobbing you off.
“You know when something isn’t right, keep pushing for these checks.
“I wish I’d taken out life insurance. It’s not something you usually think about in your thirties. I feel like the biggest burden to my family. I’d encourage everyone to take out life insurance.
“You think you’re invincible and it won’t happen to you – certainly at this age – but it would’ve helped us so much now.”
Lewis has launched a fundraising page to help provide security for his family at a time of need.
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How do nonsmokers get lung cancer?
WE’RE all well aware of the perils of smoking, with cigarettes responsible for seven out of 10 cases of lung cancer.
If you’ve never puffed on a cigarette, your odds of sidestepping the disease are altogether much stronger.
But it’s still possible to develop lung cancer even if you’ve sworn off tobacco.
In fact, up to 14 per cent of people with lung cancer in the UK have never smoked, according to Cancer Research UK.
What are the symptoms?
Most nonsmokers have no early signs of lung cancer, which means they’re often not diagnosed until it has spread.
But some people do notice symptoms in the cancer’s early stages, Yale oncologists said.
These are similar to the symptoms in smokers and may include the following:
- A cough that doesn’t go away or gets worse over time
- Coughing up blood
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Trouble breathing
- Wheezing
- Hoarseness
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss for no reason
- Fatigue
- Trouble swallowing
- Swelling in the face and/or the neck
- Recurrent lung infections, including pneumonia
What are the risk factors for lung cancer?
Even if you’ve never picked up a cigarette in your life, a combination of other factors can still put you at risk of developing the disease.
For starters, passive smoking – breathing in other people’s cigarette smoke – can slightly increase your risk, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.
Your age is another driver, as the cancer is more common in older people, with more than four in 10 people diagnosed with lung cancer being 75 and over.
Materials and substances you inhale while working can also increase your chances of developing lung cancer.
One such material is asbestos, a material that was previously used in the building industry.
People who have been in prolonged or close contact with asbestos have a higher risk of getting lung cancer, Macmillan said.
Heavy metals and diesel exhaust are two more cancer-causing agents that people could be exposed to at work, Yale oncologists added.
Then there’s radon gas.
In certain parts of the UK, a natural gas called radon can pass from the soil into the foundations of buildings.
While exposure to high levels of radon isn’t common, it can increase the risk of developing lung cancer, particularly in people who also smoke.
Finally, where you live can also up your risk, as research has shown that air pollution can be a driving factor behind lung cancer cases.
The risk is linked to air quality and how much pollution a person is exposed to, but for most people, the risk is very small, Macmillan noted.
