When symptoms were dismissed
Liam Handley, 36, from Glossop, had carried many labels throughout his life. His red hair had been the centre of many a joke from early years right through to his adult life. This, along with his dyslexia, made him feel very self-conscious.
Suffering with anxiety for much of his life, when Liam first went to his doctor with chest pain, his GP put his symptoms down to stress and increased his medication.
But the pains didn’t subside. Liam kept going back to his GP, but each time just had his medication increase further. There was never a referral for a chest X-ray.
“I don’t think doctors ever considered lung cancer,” said Lynn Handley, Liam’s mum. “Liam did not fit the stereotypical lung cancer patient, he was young, non-smoker, not overweight and relatively fit. It certainly wasn’t in our heads. But it wasn’t in the GP’s either, and herein lies the problem.”
Persistent pain and missed opportunities
The pain got so bad that in June, Liam’s dad, Gordon, took him to Tameside General Hospital with what he thought was a heart attack.
Doctors diagnosed Liam with blood clots in his lungs and prescribed blood thinners to dissolve them. A week later, the hospital discharged him and asked him to return within four weeks for an urgent CT scan. However, no one referred him for a chest X-ray.
But, due to Covid, this never happened.
Liam’s symptoms continued. In fact, they were getting worse. He also developed pain in his shoulders and lower back, and doctors prescribed strong painkillers.
The situation became so dire that his family decided to pay for a private CT scan. Only then did doctors finally diagnose Liam.
The day everything changed
“We will never forget that day – 25th August 2020,” continues Lynn. “Doctors diagnosed Liam with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma, which had spread to his liver, spine, and lymph nodesHe also had a fracture to his pelvis and collapse of his T2 vertebrae.
“We were all devastated. Doctors told us they did not expect Liam to live for more than five to six weeks.”
“We were also so angry. It had taken so long – around 9 months – to get the diagnosis, precious months that could have made a difference to Liam’s prognosis and given us more time with our beautiful boy.”
Treatment and restricted life
Liam had radiotherapy to his T2vertebrae and pelvis. Doctors fitted Liam with a spinal brace, which he had to wear 24/7. He could not sit up more than 30 degrees or get out of bed.
Further tests then revealed that Liam had a genetically mutated lung cancer called adenocarcinoma EGFR Exon19 positive, which tends to affect people who have minimal to no smoking history. Doctors prescribed a targeted therapy called Osimertinib.
A glimmer of hope
Despite the initial prognosis, Liam reacted well to the treatment. After 12 weeks of wearing the spinal brace, he was able to remove it and start to gently walk again.
In December, Liam married his long-term partner Louise and life started to almost return to normal.
But sadly, in April, Liam started to experience chest pain again and began to get quite out of breath. Scans revealed the treatment was no longer working and his cancer was growing again.
Liam had chemotherapy and immunotherapy but gradually became weaker and dependent on oxygen. He passed away on 4 October, just 37 years old.
“We are left with so many questions”
“We are left with so many questions,” concludes Lynn. “Why didn’t his GP send him for chest x-rays? Why didn’t they question why a healthy 36-year-old, young man was having severe chest pain? How was the cancer not found when he was admitted to hospital with blood clots?
We can only think that the label of non-smoker worked against Liam. The fact that he didn’t smoke clouded the doctor’s view so lung cancer was never considered.
“For us, the only labels that matter when describing Liam are selfless, kind, sincere and loving.
“He was the most amazing dad to his four children, whether it was changing nappies, feeding them, helping with their homework, reading them stories at bedtime, or just giving them a shoulder to cry on. Liam was always there. He was a true daddy, and our family is lesser without him.”
Lynn and Gordon share Liam’s story as part of our Let Go of the Labels campaign for lung cancer awareness month, which calls for us all to stop thinking about lung cancer in terms of ‘smoker’ and ‘non-smoker’.
A message from Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
Charity chief executive, Paula Chadwick, said: “As harrowing as it is, it is so important to share stories like Liam’s and we cannot thank Lynn and Gordon enough for being part of our Let Go of the Labels campaign and helping us raise awareness.
It is vital we shine a spotlight on these awful experiences, not to point fingers or blame but to help educate and stop this from happening to anyone else.
“Liam’s story shows lung cancer can happen to anyone, regardless of if they have smoked or not, and also at any age. We want anyone reading this to recognise this and push for a more thorough investigation.”
If you are concerned about symptoms or would like advice about how to get the most out of your appointment, check out our blog.