Liam Handley, 36, visited his GP in 2020 when he experienced worsening chest pains which were dismissed as stress and anxiety, but he was later told he had lung cancer
A “selfless and loving” dad whose worrying symptoms were dismissed by his GP as anxiety died of lung cancer weeks later.
Liam Handley had been experiencing chest pains and so made an appointment with his doctor, but it was put down to stress. When they did not subside, he returned but each time his medication was increased further. Months later, it was revealed dad of four Liam had lung cancer, which would go on to kill him in a matter of weeks.
The shock diagnosis was only made when the family decided to pay for a private CT scan – nine months after his initial consultation. Liam’s mother, Lynn, told MEN : “We were all devastated. We were told 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. We will never forget that day – 25th August 2020. 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.
“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.”
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.
Tragically, the following April, Liam started to experience chest pain again and began to get quite 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, aged 37.
Lynn added: “We are left with so many questions. 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 the label of non-smoker worked against Liam. The fact 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.
