When Mel Erwin was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020, her world fell apart. But five years later — after surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a recurrence — she’s living life with hope, humour, heart and a new love of cycling…
“When the world locked down in March 2020, I developed long Covid. When my GP ordered a chest X-ray neither of us expecting to find a three-centimetre mass in my left lung. Further scans confirmed it was malignant. I had lung cancer.
“As someone in good health, it was incomprehensible. I had a vivid picture of what lung cancer looked like. I remember by grandad being on oxygen and struggling to breathe. That’s what lung cancer looked like. Not someone like me. I couldn’t make sense of it.
“Since then, I’ve learned that lung cancer can affect anyone — regardless of gender, age or smoking history. My diagnosis was non-small cell adenocarcinoma with an EGFR mutation, a genetically driven form of lung cancer increasingly seen in younger people and women.
Cancer Angels
“My partner, Sarah, and I somehow navigated each step of the ordeal. Together in spirit but not always in body, as I faced surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone due to Covid restrictions.
“To anyone facing treatment, I say this: we are all different. Our bodies respond to medical interventions in individual ways. It’s astonishing what we can endure with love, care and support from those around us.
“For me, chemotherapy was grueling. Others I know with the same regime were far less affected. But I got through it.
“My three adult children are my constant champions and best friends. In the darkest moments, when fear overwhelmed me, I repeated their names like a mantra: Eloise, Fred, George. Now I add my granddaughter’s name too.
Life After Treatment
In 2021, treatment over, I stepped tentatively back into life and tried to make sense of the world post-cancer. My mind, body and soul needed time to recover.
Before my diagnosis, I thought once treatment ended, people were “better.” How wrong I was! Many of us need as much compassion, kindness and love after treatment as we did during it.
I bought a step counter and started walking 10,000 steps a day. Slowly, I began to rebuild — and with it, a new appreciation for life: blue skies, daffodils, smiles from strangers, my wonderful tribe of friends and my precious family.
Living with Stage 4
In April 2022, a scan showed tiny nodules on both lungs. Two years later, a biopsy confirmed the cancer had returned. I now have inoperable stage 4 lung cancer.
Thankfully, I’m one of the lucky ones. I take a daily targeted therapy drug which inhibits tumour growth. So far, my side effects are minimal.
When it stops working — and it will — I trust the remarkable researchers and clinicians will have new treatments ready. There has been huge progress in lung cancer care. Increasingly, it’s viewed not as a death sentence, but as a chronic condition to be managed.
I live well. I’m happy, hopeful and focused on the now. I’m a patient advocate for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and an active member of a support group for people with the same EGFR mutation as me.
Taking on the Tour de 4
When Sir Chris Hoy announced his own stage 4 cancer diagnosis, I followed his story closely. He and I don’t have much in common — he’s a six-time Olympic gold medallist; I have a rusting bike in the back garden — but we share a belief in living joyfully and meaningfully with advanced cancer.
When I saw his Tour de 4 cycling fundraiser, I turned to Sarah and said, “Let’s do this!” Surprising, perhaps, since I’d done almost no aerobic exercise since my diagnosis — and not much before it either! But I was inspired by his commitment to show what’s possible when you live with hope and determination.
When I found out the event was happening on 7th September — my 58th birthday — it felt like fate. Sarah and I signed up for the Blue Ride: 37.5 miles of cycling in Glasgow.
Back on the Bike
I began training. My first ride was nearly three miles around our local park. I felt like a six-year-old again on my first bike — a shiny red Raleigh in the 1970s. Now, despite having one and a half lungs and a good bit of wheezing, I successfully completed the 37.5 mile route on my 58th birthday.
I love being on a bike. I feel free. I notice blossom trees, magnolias, canal paths, swans nesting, and smiling cyclists — and I wonder what each of them might be carrying, mentally or physically.
I’m proud of myself — for turning the pedals, for getting out there and doing something so completely out of my comfort zone. A friend said to me, “It’s a ride, not a race. Enjoy it.” And I did.
Riding for Roy Castle
When it came to choosing who to fundraise for, it was instinctive: Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
During my recovery in 2021, I read every story on their website. I saw people living — truly living — with lung cancer, with hope. That gave me strength. Since then, I’ve represented the charity at several events, joined a podcast, and become part of the Roy Castle family.
Sarah and I are aiming raised over £11,000 which is going towards a new lung cancer research fellowship in honour of the late MP Sir James Brokenshire, who sadly died of lung cancer. And we all know the power of research.
Hope, Joy and My Lovely Lungs
Through it all, I keep writing — sharing my experiences in My Lovely Lungs. Creative connection with others has been healing, humbling and beautiful. I hope my words help to raise awareness and show that life with cancer can still be full of light, laughter and love.
Lung cancer should never be a taboo. People with cancer can and do live with va-va-voom, whatever their diagnosis or stage. We carry on with the beautiful business of living — and sometimes, that means getting back on the bike.