Young cancer sufferer Kay from Doncaster aiming to live as normal a life as possible

Lung cancer kills more people in the UK every year than any other form of cancer and a teenage university student from Doncaster shows it can strike at any age.
Kay Murgatroyd, a 19-year-old student from Doncaster, suffering from lung cancerKay Murgatroyd, a 19-year-old student from Doncaster, suffering from lung cancer
Kay Murgatroyd, a 19-year-old student from Doncaster, suffering from lung cancer

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM) and the plight of 19 year-old Kay Murgatroyd, along with many others, is highlighted in the #HeadHigh national campaign of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – the only UK charity dedicated solely to lung cancer.

Kay enjoys parties and all the activities that every 19-year-old should. She also has lung cancer. Kay was diagnosed with ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer when she was just 17. Now she is on a daily-targeted chemotherapy tablet which has minimal effect on her life at the moment and hardly any side effects. But, one day, this drug is going to stop working. Kay’s mum, Aileen, wants to know why.

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She said: “We have to find out why this drug stops working. Lung cancer affects a large chunk of people who are of value to the community. They deserve the research, they deserve the funding, they deserve a long and happy life.” Paula Chadwick, CEO of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: “There’s no escaping the fact that smoking is the main cause of lung cancer so we understand why the stigma exists, but the fact is, it doesn’t matter.” Visit www.roycastle.org/how-we-help/our-campaigns/hold-your-head-high-this-november to find out more.

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