Dave Marcus had seen the adverts about how a persistent cough could be a sign of lung cancer. But as someone who had never smoked, he presumed it didn’t apply to him.
This common misconception was only compounded further after Dave consulted his doctor. He was diagnosed with a chest infection and given antibiotics.
But Dave kept coughing. The cough was so severe that it caused a hernia!
The cough continues
Dave had surgery for his hernia in April but come August, he was still coughing. He was told that it was severe illness, most likely a chest infection complicated by pneumonia, and he just had to be patient.
“Even by this point, I wasn’t concerned about my cough,” recalls Dave. “After the hernia operation, the cough had become quite mild.
I’d cough occasionally through the day and night. It wasn’t aggressive, just persistent. If anything, it was more irritating than worrisome. It never felt ominous. I think that’s why lung cancer was never in my mind, and why would it be? I hadn’t smoked so why would I get lung cancer?!
“I was fine to ride out whatever this infection was. Thankfully, my partner Emelie wasn’t so patient.”
A persistent partner
Emelie, who was undergoing treatment for colon cancer at the time, insisted Dave get a second opinion and double check there was nothing to be worried about. Dave spoke to a doctor from his company. His reaction was very different…
“This doctor took things much more seriously, especially given the length of time I had had this cough. He insisted I see a respiratory consultant. That’s when I got the biggest shock of my life.”
Millimetres matter
Dave was diagnosed with lung cancer in late October, 7 months after his cough first started. His tumour measured 7.8cm, 2mm within the threshold for surgery. Any bigger and Dave would have been looking at a very different prognosis.
It’s a sobering thought to think how close things got and so much of that is down to the perception of lung cancer – or lack of understanding around this type of cancer.
“I was so focused on the fact that I had never smoked that I, unintentionally, ignored the clearest of warning signs – a persistent cough.
“But I wasn’t alone in this thinking. It wasn’t until I got that second opinion that lung cancer became a possibility.
“It’s definitely time we stop thinking about lung cancer in this way. I am proof that it can happen to anyone and catching it early means there’s life after lung cancer.”
Dave shares his experience as part of our Let Go of the Labels campaign for lung cancer awareness month.