'I felt I had smoked and deserved lung cancer'

Ginnie Walker found out she had lung cancer after being invited to an NHS health check

A woman who felt she deserved lung cancer after being a lifelong smoker has encouraged people invited for screening to "go for your loved ones".

Ginnie Walker, from Crawley, is one of 137 smokers and ex-smokers, aged 55 to 74, across Sussex who have received early treatment for lung cancer after agreeing to a lung health check.

But the 59-year-old, who said she continued to smoke a packet a day after her sister’s death from lung cancer, had second thoughts.

"I felt I had smoked and that I deserved it but then I thought about my son, Oscar, and knew I was going to take up the invite," said Ms Walker.

From fear to cancer-free

Ms Walker received her invite for a lung health check in late November 2023.

She had a chronic cough at the time and feared cancer might be a possibility.

"I did feel disgusted with myself but just kept smoking," she said.

The scan, performed in a supermarket car park, revealed a suspicious nodule, and further tests confirmed an 18mm cancerous growth.

"Although I knew what the outcome was going to be, I was still in shock," Ms Walker said.

A lobectomy in March 2024 at St George’s Hospital, in Tooting, removed the stage one tumour and she needed no further treatment.

" I will never, ever go back to smoking. The thought of my son stops me," said Ms Walker, who is now cancer-free and a non-smoker.

"I also don’t want to let down all the wonderful people who have been involved in my diagnosis and treatment.

"Why would I want to undo all that good work and start smoking?"

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the UK, with less than a third detected too late.

Nearly 75% of those diagnosed by the Sussex NHS Lung Health Checks programme since 2022 have been offered potentially lifesaving treatment.

More than 56,000 invitations have been sent, with more than 34,000 people attending scans.

“If you receive an invite for a lung health check, please just go for the scan. They won’t judge you," said Ms Walker.

"Go for your loved ones.”