Ruth's story

Ruth Dalgleish, 63, was diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2014 after becoming concerned when she coughed and noticed blood on her tissue.

After mentioning this to a nurse at a scheduled blood pressure appointment shortly after, Ruth was advised to see her GP who referred her for an x-ray.

Ruth was told the results would take three weeks, but just days later she was informed that a two-inch mass had been found in the upper lobe of her right lung.

CT scans and biopsies followed soon after which confirmed that the tumour was cancer, but that it hadn’t spread.  Surgery was scheduled to remove the tumour and Ruth underwent one round of chemotherapy as a preventative measure.

Ruth, who has five children and seven grandchildren, said:

“Things moved very quickly after my diagnosis and I feel very lucky to have had a good outcome. When I heard the words lung cancer I thought, well that’s it, but the reality was very different. Apart from the chemo affecting my kidney function for a short spell, everything went to plan and I recovered well.

“I didn’t realise how bad I was until I felt better. It took me two years to get back to full fitness as I took things gradually, but I’m now back to doing everything I did before the surgery. My quality of life is fantastic.

“I’d encourage anyone to go straight to their doctor if they have concerns. It could just save your life.”