'My rib pain that was blamed on 60-hour work week turned out to be lung cancer'

'My rib pain that was blamed on 60-hour work week turned out to be lung cancer' View Image

A mum whose rib discomfort and dizzy spells were attributed to the gruelling demands of 60-hour working weeks has been diagnosed with lung cancer and discovered to have 11 tumours in her brain. Lisa Gillies, 53, received a stage four lung cancer diagnosis that had spread to her brain - triggered by a genetic EGFR mutation typically found in non-smokers - in December 2023.

She underwent regular blood tests and monitoring of her iron levels - which were depleted at the time - before returning to her GP with complaints of dizziness. A subsequent CT scan at Bournemouth Hospital detected a shadow on her lung, whilst a biopsy confirmed the heartbreaking diagnosis.

She commenced an oral treatment immed