When Michael Anderson was diagnosed with the same illness that killed his sister 18 months earlier, he presumed he’d face the same fate. But then his oncologist said one word that changed everything.
A year on from treatment, the 66-year-old from Harringay, north London is now cancer-free, and the face of a new awareness campaign led by Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, highlighting how improvements in awareness, diagnosis, and treatment are giving more people like him a real chance at life after lung cancer.
“I was devastated when my sister passed away,” recalls Michael, “so when I was also diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, my first thought was ‘I’ll be dead within a year.’
“I just assumed that’s what happened — you were diagnosed and then you died. There was no in-between. That had been my sister’s experience. Why would I be any different?”
However, Michael’s story was in fact very different. During a conversation with his oncologist, Michael was told they were aiming to cure him.
“That word — cure — completely floored me. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I understood lung cancer but it turns out I was the poster boy for misconceptions.”
Michael was treated with chemo and radiotherapy. It was a brutal regime which, at times, he was unsure he’d be able to complete. But thanks to some incredible friends on the chemo ward, he got through it. 12 months on from completing treatment, Michael is now the face of a new awareness campaign – This is Lung Cancer.
Challenging outdated perceptions and stigma, the campaign uses stories of people like Michael thriving after a diagnosis to highlight progress in diagnosis and treatment to encourage people to seek help earlier.
Paula Chadwick, chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “Lung cancer is plagued by misconceptions but through incredible people like Michael, we are changing the lung cancer narrative. Because lung cancer today looks very different and it’s time people knew it!”
Once stubbornly low, longer-term survival for lung cancer is gradually improving. In 2007, only 8% of people survived for five years or more. Now, 20% of people are reaching that milestone – one that Michael hopes to reach himself.
“My understanding of lung cancer before my own diagnosis was very much shaped by sister’s experience.
“But this isn’t the full story – not anymore. Now I know you can get through it and come out the other side. Lung cancer isn’t the automatic death sentence it once was – especially when it’s caught early.”
