“I actually had to ask them if they were sure they had the right person because I felt fine!”
Jean was out on a walk with her dog when she decided to go for a check up
A former pub landlady found out she had cancer after an impromptu pit stop during one of her dog walks.
Jean Page, 73, was on a leisurely stroll with her dog when she decided to get herself checked out a mobile clinic which had parked up on Hazel Grove Park and Ride in Stockport.
The clinic on wheels was an NHS lung health check facility which smokers and former smokers aged between 55 and 75 are encouraged to visit when they see them dotted around Greater Manchester.
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A smoker of 50 years, Jean didn’t have any symptoms, but knew friends who had undergone the screen and she decided to follow suit.
When inside, the grandma-of-six filled out a questionnaire and underwent a CT scan. A few days later she received a follow up call inviting her for further tests at the hospital.
She was then diagnosed with lung cancer in February. Jean said: “I was still walking my dog, Dolly, and didn’t have any noticeable symptoms so I wasn’t sure whether the NHS screening was really for me. I’m often the type of person who would rather not know.
“But a few people I knew had already been for their lung health check and they all said I should go so I thought I’d better get it done.
“I’d been smoking all my life and was still smoking when I went for my appointment but there was no judgement. I’d tried to give up a few times but it’s so addictive.
“Later when the doctor told me I had lung cancer I couldn’t believe it. I was gobsmacked because I’d had no symptoms. I actually had to ask them if they were sure they had the right person because I felt fine!”
The news was broken to her during a NHS lung health check in a mobile clinic at Hazel Grove, Stockport.
Moments before the diagnosis, Jean said she had been smoking, but was shocked when doctors told her about the discovery.
After her diagnosis, Jean was offered support to quit smoking from Wythenshawe Hospital’s onsite stop smoking service, known as CURE. The retiree has successfully quit with help from the team and the use of nicotine replacement patches.
Jean, who is a former landlady at The Windsor Castle, in Marple, has also had surgery to remove the cancer in her lungs in April this year and is recovering well following her treatment.
Jean was the landlady of The Windsor Castle, in Marple
Now back playing Cribbage at the pub she once managed, she has called on others to go for their NHS Lung Cancer Screening and to stop smoking.
“If I hadn’t gone for the screening,” she said. “I wouldn’t have known anything was wrong. Who knows how long it would have been before it was found otherwise? I really believe it saved my life.
“I know some people worry about what they might find. I understand that because I felt a bit like that myself. But it’s much better to know, because then you can get help like I did.
“After my diagnosis I was determined to quit smoking. It wasn’t easy but I did it and if I can do it after 50 years then others can too! I had so much support from all the staff at Wythenshawe I can’t thank them enough.”
Dr Sarah Taylor, Associate Medical Director for Primary Care at Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, said: “Jean’s story shows why NHS Lung Cancer Screening is so important.
“Most people who come for screening won’t have lung cancer but it’s important to come and get checked out.
“For the very small proportion of people who do go on to get a lung cancer diagnosis by attending lung cancer screening their cancer is usually found at an earlier stage when it’s much more likely to be treatable.”Professor Matthew Evison, Consultant Respiratory Physician at Wythenshawe Hospital, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, and Clinical Lead for Make Smoking History in Greater Manchester, said: “It’s fantastic to hear Jean is doing so well. Stopping smoking is one of the most important things anyone can do after a cancer diagnosis – it helps people recover from surgery, helps treatments work better and improves survival. It’s never too late to stop, and Jean is proof of that after 50 years.
“Throughout our lung cancer service at Wythenshawe Hospital, all patients who smoke are offered specialist support to stop, including nicotine replacement, nicotine vapes and medication and ongoing support throughout their care.
“Everyone who smokes and attends lung cancer screening in Greater Manchester is also offered help to quit. There’s no judgement – just expert support for anyone who wants it.”
October is Stoptober. Find out more about how to stop smoking by visiting this website.