Let’s fight for lung cancer awareness and equality!!

At 56 my Mum was diagnosed with lung cancer at the start of 2020 after what her GP told her was laryngitis. By the time she was sent for a CT scan it was too late and terminal. We could have never known that laryngitis symptoms could be lung cancer as there is just not enough information, awareness or funding which seems absurd considering it is the biggest cancer killer in New Zealand. There seems to be a stigma with lung cancer that it is a smokers disease, my Mum was not a smoker. There is only 5 treatment options for lung cancer in New Zealand in comparison to Australia’s 17. My mum was eligible for 2, 1 which ended up damaging her lung further. She lived for 18 months after diagnosis in incredible amounts of pain ending up in hospice for 2 weeks before they sent her into an understaffed rest home who couldn’t provide her the care she needed or deserved. I don’t want anyone to ever have to suffer or see a loved one suffer at the end of their life like how my sister and I saw our Mum suffer.

The goal of lung foundation charity is to promote lung health, promote early diagnosis of lung cancer through screening, provide better care for patients and to decrease the number of deaths.

Lung cancer facts:

- Lung cancer is New Zealand’s biggest cancer killer.

- 5 kiwis die from lung cancer everyday.

- More kiwis die of lung cancer than prostate, breast and melanoma combined.

- 45% of kiwis diagnosed with lung cancer are diagnosed in A&E

- ANYONE can get lung cancer!