Cancer Awareness

Trevor’s Story

“I want to make people aware that cancer’s not necessarily a death sentence anymore” 

We recently had a chat with Trevor. He had lung cancer in September 2023, and now he wants to spread the word about looking out for symptoms, and making sure to pay attention when your body is telling you something just doesn’t feel quite right. Read on to see what he told us about his experience.  

“I read about Wellmoor’s lung cancer project in the North Dartmoor Parishes magazine, and the Okelinks magazine. I’ve had lung cancer, and I saw you were asking for people who might have had it or might be worried about it, and I think maybe I’ve got some reassuring words.”

“I’ve had both bladder and lung cancer - as they say, 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in some form or other and I’ve had it twice now. I had the operation for my lung cancer 18 months ago, in September 2023. It was probably smoking that caused it, as I used to smoke, although I’ve also worked with asbestos and fibreglass, and worked in a factory with fibres in the air. Really, I don’t think the doctors know what it was exactly that caused it, but I’ve had some dusty jobs which could contribute.”

“As I said, I’ve had bladder cancer as well, and you can’t tie that to smoking. So, who knows what caused it? You can’t explain that - it’s just from being alive!” 

What made Trevor go to the doctors? 

“I didn’t feel right, as simple as that. When the doctor said ‘how can I help you?’, it was as simple as ‘I don’t feel right’. It’s a case of knowing your body I think, and it took a while to know something wasn’t right. I had a while of telling people I wasn’t feeling great, but I saw it as a minor blip. I thought it would be something little, and I’d be alright again in a couple of months. 

I stopped doing lots of things to try and help; changed my lifestyle, diet and exercise and other things, but that didn’t help. Because I’d made so many changes I even thought for a little while that maybe it is these changes that are making me feel me not quite right, so I went back to the old ways for a little while and thought no this isn’t good either. So that’s how I ended up going to the doctors. 

My doctor then sent me for emergency tests, and that’s how we found it.  

Looking back, I had a loss of appetite, which was a big sign. It’s a massive sign that lots of people don’t know about. It’s easy to explain it away or give other reasons like stress, but it’s a big symptom to take notice of. Whilst I liked having the flat stomach for a while, I realised it wasn’t right.

Like a lot of people, when the doctor sent me for an emergency appointment, I was worried about being a bother or wasting their time. They did loads of checks, heart and bloods and other stuff. After, I went to the docs to talk about the results and everything had come back as OK. I only had a CT scan left, which was planned for after all the others, but as everything else had come back OK I said I may as well not go for it, as I don’t want to take it away from somebody else. The doctor said no, I should go for it - I’d already got the appointment, so may as well use it. He had a good intuition, as the CT scan is where they ended up finding out that something wasn’t right. So it was very lucky that I listened to him and didn’t just decide to cancel the appointment as everything else had been ok or I didn’t want to waste their time.” 

What is life like after treatment?  

“Obviously you do still worry about it, you can’t help it, especially when it comes to your 12 monthly check. But I had a scan a couple of weeks ago and I’m all clear, and it was such a relief to get the letter saying I was free of cancer.  The follow up is amazing too – I’ll be tested for the next 5 years to keep an eye on things.  I think the important thing is to remember It’s not to be feared, doctors are good at what they do and will help!” 

A message from Trevor: 

“I want to make people take notice of what’s going on with their bodies, just in case there are any signs.  And I want to make people aware that cancer’s not necessarily a death sentence anymore, as it’s not that long ago that it was one. I remember my uncle just fading away from lung cancer, but that was a long time ago and things change. But you’ve got to catch it early, that is the key – which gets back to knowing your body and what’s normal for you. 

….and if you go into Derriford hospital, ask a friend to bring food in - that’s the only downside about the whole deal!”