I am writing this with a very heavy heart but I feel I need to inform those of you fighting this brave fight and any caregivers helping their loved ones. My lovely Dad at 62 years passed this March of NSCLC. He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in November 2021. My Dad's initial symptoms started in March 21 with a persistent cough and after coughing for 6 weeks he made his way to his GP. With rounds of steroids and antibiotics and nothing getting any better his GP finally sent him for a chest xray in June and to our relief it came back clear. My Dad continued with an inhaler and was told he had asthma. September 2021 came and my Mum pleaded that my Dad attend a&e as she was getting concerned as Dad had started to look unwell and was losing weight. A CT was performed and from there the road to diagnosis began. Dad was officially diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer on Nov 3rd, a day I will never forget. He fought the good fight and was given immunotherapy (pdl1 80%). Unfortunately, for my Dad the diagnosis was too late. Dad fought bravely to the very end but to our devastation his battle ended on March 13th of this year. As a family we were left devastated, however, today we are even more devastated and angered. After my Dad's passing we wrote a letter to the hospital that performed his chest Xray in June. The Xray that was reported as clear was reviewed as we requested and it now has an addendum attached to it, there was an evident collapse on his left lower lobe that was initially missed (Dad's main tumor was in his left lower love). If this was seen in June who knows what that could have meant for my Dad and his chances of fighting the fight he so wanted to fight. I want to make you all aware to not take a clear Xray at face value. We were lucky we had a copy of all of my Dads files before he was diagnosed and had a copy of this Xray from June included. There was no way for the hospital to duck and dive or conveniently 'lose a file'. So if you have had a clear xray before diagnosis maybe get a second review. I hope this information might reach someone that it needs to reach.
