‘I didn’t smoke, rarely drank’

By Finnian Cox

“When I got the cancer diagnosis, I said there had to be some kind of mix-up.”

In the days following her 40th birthday, Gillian Ryan, an otherwise healthy mother of two from Bandon received a sudden, grave lung cancer diagnosis.

The three years since have seen Gillian tackle the disease head on, using her experience to raise awareness about the multiple ways in which it can develop.

Though most people believe lung cancer to be caused almost exclusively by cigarette smoking, Gillian explain told the Cork Independent there’s several sources, and a lack of resources to diagnose it.

Due to this lack of screening options, most cases of lung cancer aren’t identified until they are at stage 4, at which point treatment options are greatly reduced.

“You can be young, and otherwise healthy,” said Gillian.

“I had breathlessness and went from going to the gym 4 nights a week and being able to run 10k to struggling with a flight of stairs.”

Gillian described how, after standing her ground after a doctor suggested it was anxiousness, weeks’ worth of testing followed, with no mention of cancer at any point.

“It wasn’t something on my mind, as it never occurred to me that I could develop it. I didn’t smoke, rarely drank. I remember the shock, and then having to drive myself home, and tell my family- there was a terrible feeling of guilt, to bring that news to people.”

Working alongside the Marie Keating foundation, Gillian campaigns through her Instagram account @gillslovelylungs, where she advocates for better screening and education.

“Some people have reached out to me, thanking me, as they saw my case and decided to get tested. I’ve also made a group with other people like me, who were young and otherwise healthy when they got diagnosed,” she said.

Another aspect of her experience that Gillian describes as a big issue is the stigma around lung cancer, that leads to a shame around the disease.

She said: “People would ask what kind, and you could see when I told them they assumed I was a smoker - but as in many other cases, it can easily develop from more than one source.”

Gillian believes that the best way to tackle lung cancer is in a similar way to the breast cancer screening- through a mobile unit.

“I really believe that no matter what, if it manages to save even one life, it’s worth it.”

November is International Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and the Marie Keating Foundation has launched The Big Checkup- Look Out for Lung Cancer campaign on their website mariekeating.ie which features useful information about the disease.