'Cancer discovery was wake-up call to get married'

When Shirley Gale was invited for a routine lung screening, she had no reason to think anything was wrong.

She was offered the test after disclosing that she was a former smoker over twenty years ago, plus her job renovating old houses which could have led to possible asbestos exposure risks.

A scan at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) led to the discovery of a cancerous nodule, which meant Gale having surgery to remove 60% of the upper left lobe of her lung.

Now fully cancer-free, she said the "life-changing" experience pushed her and her fiancé to finally get married after being together for over seven years.

After the screening team at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust found the malignant lung nodule, they monitored it over time.

A follow-up scan on Christmas Eve found it had grown to around 2.5cm, even though Gale said she had no symptoms.

Further tests showed that the cancer had not spread.

She was offered the option of a biopsy or surgery to remove the area directly. She chose surgery and did not need any further treatment.

"I can't thank the team enough", she said. "From the nurses who first contacted me to the lung team and the surgeons, everyone was brilliant. I felt listened to, cared for and reassured all the way through."

Gale, who has owned the La Casa Loco restaurant in Rugby for 34 years, called the experience life-changing and said it inspired her to finally move forward with her wedding.

She said: "It was a life-affirming moment.

"You realise life is not a rehearsal; in a way I found it an empowering experience. Going through this makes you realise what matters, it was a wake-up call!" she added.

Shirley and her fiancé, Neil Warwick, got married last Sunday. She is now encouraging anyone invited for lung screening to attend and to answer the risk questions honestly, particularly about smoking history.

"There is nothing to lose and everything to gain," she said. "The best news is they do not find anything, but if they do then it's best to know and start treatment early when it has a higher chance of success."

The targeted lung screening programme expanded earlier this year from Coventry, Nuneaton, Bedworth and Rugby into south Warwickshire, starting in Stratford, with further areas to follow.

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.