“I had to push my doctor to send me for a chest x-ray. Now I’m sharing my story to help others do the same.”
Janis Chen knows lung cancer all too well. She lost both her father and grandmother to it, and when she began experiencing chest pain, something deep inside her said: Don’t ignore this.
She was not satisfied with her GP’s diagnosis: not once, but twice. As a cross-cultural psychologist with a background in psychiatric assessment, she is trained to distinguish emotional distress from physical symptoms.
“That morning, when I first felt the pain, I knew it wasn’t anxiety. The chest pain was so intense, I couldn’t even sit up in bed. It just didn’t feel right – something was seriously wrong.
“The pain persisted for six weeks. When I returned to the GP, they again suggested anxiety. I calmly disagreed. It was clear the recommended pathway for chest pain wasn’t being followed. I requested a chest x-ray. They reluctantly referred me, still insisting I was just anxious.”
The scans revealed tumours in both lungs. The prognosis? Around 11 months.
“Initially, my medical team thought the cancer was curable. But complications during the biopsy delayed a clear diagnosis. I underwent surgery in October 2022, and then a second in November. After that, the news changed everything: stage 4 EGFR+ lung cancer. Metastasised.
“At the time, I was in the final year of my PhD, with plans to return to San Diego and begin a new chapter in marriage. Instead, I found myself facing the unimaginable.
“Despite my professional background, I was grappling with emotional and existential questions no textbook could answer. I’ve always found it easier to be the expert than the patient, but this experience taught me otherwise.
“What helped me wasn’t just treatment. It was people. I drew strength from my faith, counselling, compassionate clinicians and nurses, my close friends, and the unwavering support of my church community in the UK. My friends became my chosen family – walking beside me, holding space for both my strength and vulnerability. Though my biological family was far away, I never felt alone.
“Faith remains my anchor. It gives me hope in a life where nothing is guaranteed. I was given 11 months to live, and here I am, nearly three years on. I’ve completed my PhD and have slowly begun to plan again, not with urgency, but with deep gratitude for each day.
“If there’s one message I hope to share, it is this: Listen to your body. Trust your instincts. No one knows your lived experience better than you. And sometimes, advocating for yourself might just save your life.”