I was supposed to be having a baby, not dealing with cancer.
I am a 36-year-old, wife to my husband, Cam, mother to two beautiful children – two-year-old Max, and eight-month-old Cecilia – and Loki, our giant dog.
I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer with metastases in my spine and brain in July 2018. I was 30 weeks pregnant with our second child, Cecilia. At the time, I was working full-time and feeling pretty rubbish – I was short of breath and having trouble walking up hills and stairs. I had experienced a persistent cough for a couple of months but it had been a particularly heavy cold season so I thought I was just a bit run-down and overdoing it.
I went to see my GP to complain again about being breathless; a symptom of my pregnancy, I had previously been assured. My GP sent me straight to the hospital where I had a CT scan that identified tumours in my lungs.
I was devastated. I felt like it couldn’t possibly be true. I was supposed to be having a baby, not dealing with cancer. When people discover I have lung cancer, everyone’s go to question is about smoking. I take it as an opportunity to spread awareness that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.
Physically, I’m fortunate to feel really well with only minimal side effects from the treatment I’m on. My main challenge is the mental side, trying to keep my head in the game and enjoying my life – as a wife, mother and friend, not just a cancer patient.
My one piece of advice to others diagnosed with this disease is not to give up hope.
Targeted treatments are greatly improving quality of life for those who can benefit from them. Life-changing research is making progress towards turning lung cancer a chronic, manageable disease and, I hope one day, a cure.