A pair of giant inflatable lungs will be in Wrexham later this month. The Let’s Talk Lung Cancer roadshow from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation will be at Morrisons on Ruthin Road on Monday, November 18. The event, now in its third year, aims to raise awareness of lung cancer symptoms, encourage people to contact their GP practice if they experience any symptoms, and start much-needed conversations around the disease.
The charity wants to debunk the 'stigma that consumes the disease' and confront the country’s biggest cancer killer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in Wales. The event is part of the charity’s campaign, Let Go of the Labels, for lung cancer awareness month.
It calls for people to stop thinking about lung cancer in terms of smoking or non-smoking. Based on first-hand experiences from people who are living with the disease, the charity believes labels like smoker and non-smoker can distort what’s really going on and cause a delay in a person’s diagnosis. Joanne Peake from Cwmbran has incurable lung cancer but she has been left wondering if there was an opportunity to be diagnosed sooner.
She said: "Looking back, my symptoms may have started a couple of years before I was diagnosed. "It was actually back in 2018 when my breathing problems started but because I was still smoking, I just presumed it was because of that. "But I think this is part of the problem and why so many people with diagnosed with lung cance.