Lung cancer survivor, Seamus Cotter, is eight years on from receiving a diagnosis of stage four cancer. Now at stage zero, the Ennis man is fighting fit and driven by his desire to support patients through the disease and accurately inform people about it.
Around 2,500 people are diagnosed with lung cancer annually in this country and it is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
Seamus, in his capacity as chairperson of the Irish Lung Cancer Community (ILCC), a patient-led advocacy group for people impacted by lung cancer in Ireland, works hard to both raise public awareness about the disease and reach out to those who are affected with a diagnosis which can be isolating for many.
The road to recovery wasn’t exactly straight forward for the father of three. The diagnosis itself when he was just 46-years-old came as a bolt out of the blue. While he was in and out of Ennis General due to recurring instances of phlebitis which caused swelling of his arms and legs, a doctor noticed a swelling close to his collar bone.
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Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.