As someone who had never smoked, Karen Michael, 50 from Leighton Buzzard never thought about lung cancer, even when she had a persistent cough and was getting short of breath.

Her doctors didn’t seem to consider it initially either. Instead, Karen was given two rounds of antibiotics for suspected pneumonia and then, when that didn’t work, sent for a bronchoscopy as they thought she might have a pea stuck.

“I don’t think lung cancer ever crossed anyone’s mind,” explains Karen, “even though I had two of the most common symptoms.

“I’d had the cough for about two months and then I started getting breathless doing the simplest of tasks, like walking and even light dusting, so I can only assume that my age and the fact that I had never smoked was a distraction.”

Karen was finally sent for an x-ray which revealed a shadow on her lungs. Whilst she awaited further tests, Karen’s breathing deteriorated, and she ended up in hospital. That’s when she found out it was definitely more serious than a pea stuck.

“I have stage 4 metastatic lung cancer with the EGFR Exon 21 mutation,” continues Karen.

“It’s a type of lung cancer that is more common in people who haven’t smoked. We don’t know why I have it or what caused it, but this is what I’m facing – not long covid, not pneumonia, not any food stuck in my windpipe. Lung cancer.

“That’s why we must let go of labels like smoker and non-smoker. The reality just isn’t that black and white.

“I am the reality. I am a 50-year-old mum who has never smoked, and I have lung cancer.

“Chances are my diagnosis would have been the same had I been immediately sent for a scan. The doctors told me it’s likely that I’d had it for months. It had already spread to my brain. However, with lung cancer, every moment counts, and every delay gives the disease further control.”

Karen is currently on her third line of treatment. She has also had gamma knife radiosurgery to zap over 20 brain metastases. Despite all this, her pragmatic optimism shines through.

“Every setback or progression is devastating,” concludes Karen. “It feels like you are getting diagnosed all over again. But you have to work hard to stop yourself going down those rabbit holes and try and focus on the positives of each situation.

“You never forget you have incurable lung cancer, but there are times when you do everything you can to not think about it and just try to live your normal life, or even a better-than-normal life.

“Since my diagnosis, I live in the moment. I no longer save that expensive shower gel for best. I take my girls on holiday to Disney and Lapland without debate. I take so much pleasure in the smallest moments and I will take so much pride in helping to reshape how people think about lung cancer.”

Inspired by Karen's story and the many others like it, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation has launched its Let Go of the Labels campaign for lung cancer awareness month, calling for a stop to terms like smoker and never-smoker.

“Lung cancer is still so intrinsically linked to smoking,” explains Paula Chadwick, chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, “but the reality is anyone can get this disease, regardless of if they have smoked or not.

“The more people we spoke to, the more we recognised that labels like smoker and non-smoker were having a direct impact on how quickly people were being diagnosed. That is why we are calling for a stop to these archaic labels. Lung cancer doesn’t see them, and neither should we.”

For more information about the Let Go of the Labels campaign, or if you are concerned about symptoms, please visit roycastle.org