A young dad who was repeatedly told his chest pains were simply due to “anxiety” died aged 37, just weeks after a terminal cancer diagnosis.
When Liam Handley – who had suffered from anxiety for much of his life – first went to his GP and described the symptoms, his doctor put this down to stress. The dad-of-four, from Glossop in Derbyshire, continued to return to his GP as the pains refused to subside – but each time his medication was just increased further. Months later it was revealed Liam had lung cancer and he died just weeks later.
His heartbroken mum Lynn told the Manchester Evening News: “I don’t think lung cancer was ever considered. Liam did not fit the stereotypical lung cancer patient, he was young, non-smoker, not overweight and relatively fit. It certainly wasn’t in our heads. But it wasn’t in the GP’s either, and herein lies the problem.”
The family say as Liam’s anxiety prescriptions continued to rise, at no point was he ever referred for a chest x-ray. The pain got so bad that in June, Liam’s dad, Gordon, took him to Tameside General Hospital with what he thought was a heart attack.
Liam was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and was given blood thinners to dissolve the clot. A week later, he was discharged and told he would have to go back within four weeks for an urgent CT scan. However, due to the pandemic, the family says this never happened.
Liam then began to experience pain in his shoulders and lower back, for which he was prescribed strong pain killers. The situation became so dire his family decided to pay for a private CT scan. It was only then Liam was finally diagnosed.
“We will never forget that day – 25th August 2020,” continued Lynn. “Liam was diagnosed with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma – metastases to his liver, spine, and lymph nodes. He also had a fracture to his pelvis and collapse of his T2 vertebrae. We were all devastated. We were told that they did not expect Liam to live for more than five to six weeks.
“We were also so angry. It had taken so long – around nine months – to get the diagnosis, precious months that could have made a difference to Liam’s prognosis and given us more time with our beautiful boy.”
Liam had radiotherapy to his T2 vertebrae and pelvis. He was supplied with a spinal brace which he had to wear 24/7, was not allowed to sit up more than 30 degrees and was not allowed out of bed.
Further tests then revealed Liam had a genetically mutated lung cancer called adenocarcinoma EGFR Exon19 positive, which tends to affect people who have minimal to no smoking history. He was prescribed a targeted therapy called Osimertinib, his family shared.
Despite the initial prognosis, Liam reacted well to the treatment. After 12 weeks of wearing the spinal brace, he was able to remove it and start to gently walk again. In December 2020, Liam married his long-term partner Louise and life started to almost return to normal.
However, the following April, Liam started to experience chest pain again and began to become out of breath. Scans revealed the treatment was no longer working and his cancer was growing again. Liam had chemotherapy and immunotherapy but gradually became weaker and dependent on oxygen. He passed away on October 4, 2021, at just 37-years-old.
“We are left with so many questions,” said Lynn. “Why didn’t his GP send him for chest x-rays? Why didn’t they question why a healthy 36-year-old, young man was having severe chest pain? How was the cancer not found when he was admitted to hospital with blood clots?
“We can only think that the label of non-smoker worked against Liam. The fact that he didn’t smoke clouded the doctor’s view so lung cancer was never considered. For us, the only labels that matter when describing Liam are selfless, kind, sincere and loving.
“He was the most amazing dad to his four children, whether it was changing nappies, feeding them, helping with their homework, reading them stories at bedtime, or just giving them a shoulder to cry on. Liam was always there, and our family is lesser without him.”
Inspired by Liam’s story and the many others like it, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation says it has launched its Let Go of the Labels campaign for lung cancer awareness, calling for a stop to terms like smoker and never-smoker. Liam’s family is now fronting the national campaign in his memory.
Paula Chadwick, chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “Lung cancer is still so intrinsically linked to smoking but the reality is anyone can get this disease, regardless of if they have smoked or not.
“The more people we spoke to, the more we recognised that labels like smoker and non-smoker were having a direct impact on how quickly people were being diagnosed. That is why we are calling for a stop to these archaic labels. Lung cancer doesn’t see them, and neither should we.”
For more information about the Let Go of the Labels campaign, or if you are concerned about symptoms, please visit roycastle.org.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.