Cancer survivors join campaign

Scottish Government Viewpoint

IAIN Clark, whose wife was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013 at the age of 57, has spoken about what her surviving the disease has meant to him.

Iain (65) from Aberdeen, has become the latest to tell his 'My Survivor' story as part of a campaign to help change the way cancer is viewed and encourage more people to act early if they have concerns.

With research highlighting that fear of a potential cancer diagnosis continues to stop people acting, Detect Cancer Early Survivor campaign aims to illustrate that more people are surviving cancer than ever before, and drive home the fact that getting checked early plays a big part.

As part of the campaign, people are being encouraged to join the movement by sharing what a loved one's cancer survival has meant to them, using #MySurvivor in a bid to tell the other side of the story.

Liz Clark (62) was diagnosed after visiting her GP about a persistent cough which wouldn't go away. Liz was sent for further tests which showed a suspected malignant tumour in her right lung.

Iain, who has been married to Liz for almost 42 years, said: "I instantly feared the worst. My first reaction was to think about the worst possible outcome.

"However, as time goes on and more tests are carried out, you gradually obtain more information each stage of the way and that makes things slightly easier."

Liz was scheduled in for surgery to remove the bottom lobe of her right lung, but during the operation surgeons realised they had to remove the whole lung.

She said: "Because they'd taken out the whole lung and the cancer hadn't spread I didn't need to have any subsequent treatment. Cancer can be a terrifying experience, but I feel like I've come out the other end now and I'm happy to share my story with other people to show you can have a positive outcome."

* For more information visit www.getcheckedearly.org