Lisa’s Story: Living with lung cancer

[Music] My daughter would come into my room quite regularly and she'd run in and say, "Mum, mum, the sun's up!" And it just brought so much more perspective to my life because for her, living my life through her eyes, that the sun is up and it's a new day, I mean, wow, we need to make the most of that. [Music] Hi, I'm Lisa. I'm an osteopath and exercise physiologist and a mother of two children. As a person, most people would say I'm very energetic. I tend to be quite a happy, smiley person, bubbly personality. [Music] I had breathing difficulties when I was pregnant with my son, Alastair, and I had wheezing shortness of breath, so I was seeing my GP every couple of weeks, just asking him to constantly check me. At 38 weeks, he decided, "I think we need to have a chest x-ray. Something doesn't sound right." Show more

But that didn't show anything at the time, so I actually gave birth. And obviously, after giving birth, it was fairly hectic lifestyle. I was trying to settle at my newborn child and I had a toddler craving attention, so my focus was on them. And I never actually got any better. I thought that, you know, once the symptoms went away, you know, the baby was born, there was less pressure on my lungs, I'd start to pick up, but that wasn't the case. So my son was four months old and I coughed up blood for the first time. [Music] Show more

I was always very fit and healthy. I never smoked a cigarette in my life, so for me, most people look at me and think, "Really, you? Surely not." [Music] And I think as well, people tend to look at you and expect you to look sick because you have cancer. But these days, treatments are so advanced. And, you know, being on a clinical trial has so many positives because I'm on a targeted therapy. So basically, the drug is going directly to the cancer and it's keeping it at bay, Show more

so that gives me a lot of hope. [Music] Living each day as best as you can and really enjoying those little moments that you can share with your family, in particular my kids. And just knowing that the mind is so powerful and you have to use it to its maximum to get the benefits that you need. Show more

I did a lot of mental training to help myself to get to another level, and I think I needed to. So in the morning, I wake up and I think of five things that I'm grateful for each day and they vary each day. Show more

And that's really helped me to start my day on a really positive note. Then, of course, when I see my children, I mean, you know, there's nothing more positive than that. So the strength that they bring, their smiles, my husband's been absolutely amazing. You know, I always knew he was a fantastic source of support, but he's really shown how much he can actually provide myself and my family having been through this now. [Music] I miss dreaming about the future. [Music] You take life for granted sometimes. How about you write your name? I've got two beautiful children. I've got two beautiful children and that's who I wake up for every day and seeing my husband next to me in my bed. [Music] Show more

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