For Lachlan, research means the treatment that is saving his life can continue to improve.
Receiving a lung cancer diagnosis at the age of 20 was a massive shock for Lachlan and his family. After experiencing a persistent cough with no other symptoms of cold and flu, and months of visits to the doctor, a CT scan revealed a tumour in the lung that was 6.5 by 7cm.
Eight years after his devastating Stage 4 diagnosis Lachlan has experienced first-hand life-changing treatment that has allowed him to live a normal life.
“I’ve been very fortunate with the latest research in lung cancer because if I was diagnosed 5 or 10 years earlier, this research wasn’t available, so I wouldn’t have had access to the last three treatments which I’ve had.”
Funding into lung cancer research is critical for people like Lachlan who rely on new, effective, and life-changing treatments. For some, there is no guarantee that available treatments will be effective or will continue to provide positive results. Without funding, the best and brightest researchers are unable to undertake research that can change the lives of those living with this disease.
“I need there to be more funding, because there is not enough funding in lung cancer research. The research that is saving my life is unable to continue and improve, and reach dead ends for where I am and for where many other lung cancer patients are, and we don’t know if there will be another treatment, so it is essential that more money is donated toward specific lung cancer research.”
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Meet the Researcher
Dr Clare Weeden has been investigating lung cancer metastasis, with the aim of improving treatment options for lung cancer patients with inoperable tumours. Her work aims to improve the lives of patients such as Lachlan and she hopes that, through research, lung cancer can become a manageable disease.