I've never touched a cigarette. So why was I diagnosed with 'death sentence' lung cancer at 43?

EXCLUSIVE I've never touched a cigarette. So why was I diagnosed with 'death sentence' lung cancer at 43? READ MORE: Mystery rise of lung cancer in young people who NEVER smoked By Emily Joshu Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 12:38 BST, 21 July 2024 | Updated: 12:38 BST, 21 July 2024 e-mail View comments A Kentucky woman was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and given just six months to live, despite never smoking and being physically active.

Leah Phillips was just 43 years old in September 2019 when she developed a dry, nagging cough . Two weeks later, doctors dismissed it as just a remnant from a generic virus she had contracted. A few days taking corticosteroids eased the cough, though it returned several weeks later, along with shortness of breath.

A distance runner, Ms Phillips now had trouble keeping up with her jogging group and suffered a 'heaviness' in her chest. After returning to the doctor and pushing for more tests, scans showed consolidation in her right lung, which occurs when air in the airways is replaced with fluid, blood, or other materials. It can be a sign of multiple health complications, and the mother-of-three was diagnosed with pneumonia .

Leah Phillips (top right with her husband and children) was diagnosed with stage four non-small cell lung cancer at 43, despite never smoking 'It knocked my mom and my husband and I over with a feather because none of us even knew that you could get lung cancer without smoking,' Ms Phillips told The .