A 51-year-old woman from Cambridgeshire has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer after her hot flushes and night sweats were initially dismissed as perimenopause symptoms. Kim Oakhill, a mother of three from Ely, was told in 2024 that she had an inoperable tumour on her right lung, which had spread to the lining of her heart and brain.
Kim, who was fit and healthy before her diagnosis, began experiencing persistent leg pain, fatigue, night sweats and hot flushes. Her GP prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for presumed perimenopause, but her condition worsened. By February 2025, she developed a cough, which was treated as an infection. Over the following months, she was diagnosed with acid reflux, asthma and a chest infection, but no medication helped.
Her voice also changed, becoming unusually low or high. She was eventually sent for a CT scan, which revealed a mass on her right lung. The cancer was classified as stage four and had spread, making it inoperable. Kim underwent intensive chemotherapy, but after finishing a course in April, she experienced severe side effects including limb pain, hair loss and sickness.
Doctors have told Kim that it is unclear when the cancer will start spreading again, and that at that stage the NHS can offer no further treatment. She is now fundraising £150,000 for private targeted therapy, which she believes could extend her life. Her current life expectancy is under 12 months.
Kim, who has never smoked, wants to raise awareness that lung cancer can affect anyone. 'If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer,' she said. She is determined to stay positive for her family and is appealing for donations to access the life-saving drug not available on the NHS.
