Today is World Lung Cancer Day, a day for the spotlight to shine on lung cancer.
However, that spotlight shines every day for us. For over 30 years, we have been supporting people affected by lung cancer. Every day we research. Every day we campaign. Every day we spread awareness.
It’s safe to say that it’s been a challenging 18 months for us all living through the coronavirus pandemic, particularly for those living with lung cancer. Nevertheless, we quickly adapted to ensure all those affected by the disease got the support they needed and deserved.
Our Keep in Touch service gave those living with lung cancer, or those caring for someone with lung cancer, the opportunity to receive regular telephone support.
We know that having lung cancer has many costs – particularly during the pandemic. One practical way we were able to help was through our patient grant fund.
Our mission was clear
The coronavirus pandemic left people in limbo. Many of us were worried about speaking to our doctor’s surgery, for fear of burdening the NHS who were already dealing with Covid.
As we all stayed at home, the number of people urgently referred for lung cancer investigation fell by a staggering 75% during the first wave of the pandemic. And sadly, they still haven’t returned to expected levels.
Our mission was clear, we needed to remind people that lung cancer is Still Here. And with the help of Britain’s Got Talent winners, Attraction, we did just that.
Lung cancer won’t wait for the pandemic to be over. So, now, we need to remind everyone of the importance of an early diagnosis of lung cancer. It can be the difference between an early and late-stage diagnosis. It can be life changing. It can be life saving.
Spot the Difference
This World Lung Cancer Day, we’re encouraging everyone to spot the subtle differences in their health that could be a symptom of lung cancer.
Early symptoms of lung cancer are subtle and easy to ignore, or even write off completely – particularly at the moment. But, as we all return to the office, as we all adapt to the ‘new normal’, we’re asking everyone to spot the symptoms and Spot the Difference. The sooner you take action when noticing a difference in your health, the sooner you can get to the bottom of the cause.
Support for everyone
If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. Lung cancer does not discriminate, and neither do we. We are the only UK lung cancer charity dedicated to supporting everyone affected by lung cancer. From our Ask the Nurse helpline to our lung cancer forum, our lung cancer information booklets to online lung cancer support, we are here to support everyone affected by the disease.
But we can’t do this alone. Coronavirus restrictions may have eased, but lung cancer has still not recovered from the pandemic. We need your continued support to help spread the vital awareness of lung cancer to as many people as possible. So please, give what you can to help the Spot the Difference campaign continue to reach every corner of the country.