When Gini Harrison experienced shoulder pain after giving birth, doctors assured her it was just a result of “mommy posture” while breastfeeding and carrying the baby. Today, however, he knows that this inconspicuous symptom was the only warning of stage four lung cancer – a disease with an average survival time 17 months, writes the portal
Gini, a healthy non-smoker from Milton Keynes and mother of two, had no typical symptoms of lung cancer. She was not coughing, short of breath or tired. The only thing that bothered her was the unrelenting pain in her shoulder, which got worse over time. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she completed several phone consultations, but was only offered a personal examination after nine months.
When her condition did not improve, she decided to seek a private specialist in October 2021. He immediately sharpened his attention and sent her for a magnetic resonance imaging. The results revealed a tumor in the upper right lung and another on the shoulder blade. Shortly before Christmas, she was given a cruel diagnosis – stage 4 lung cancer, which had already spread to other parts of the body.
Doctors later discovered that Gini had a rare type of non-small cell lung cancer caused by a genetic mutation EGFR Exon 20. This mutation leads to uncontrolled cell growth and is more common in women and non-smokers. V In the UK, it occurs in around five per cent of lung cancer patients.
“I never thought I would get lung cancer as a young non-smoker. My whole world came crashing down in one moment.” says Gini. It was particularly difficult for her to tell the children – now nine-year-old Emily and four-year-old Michael – about the diagnosis. However, as a psychologist, she believed that age-appropriate honesty was the best way. According to her, the children handled the situation with admirable resilience.
Gini underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London. The treatment was so successful that he currently has no measurable signs of disease, although doctors believe that cancer cells still linger in his body. He regularly undergoes check-ups every three months.
Her story highlights the growing problem of lung cancer among non-smokers. According to Cancer Research UK, up to 14 percent of patients with this diagnosis never smoked and most of them are women. Experts draw attention to risk factors such as air pollution, passive smoking, radon or genetic mutations. Today, Gini urges people not to underestimate unusual or persistent symptoms.
“Lung cancer can happen to anyone – all you need are lungs. Research is moving forward quickly. There is more hope than many people think.” he says. At the same time, he encourages patients not to panic and to look for new treatment options.
