A 65-year-old father died four months after being diagnosed with advanced stage four lung cancer, a condition his daughter says was only discovered after she insisted he go to A&E.
David Collins, from Manchester, was described by his daughter Ellie Mae Collins as a “caring, smart and popular” man who was “ferociously protective” of his family. Towards the end of last year, he began to feel unwell, with doctors attributing his symptoms to a blood condition he had lived with for many years.
In November, David received a letter offering him the chance to screen his lungs, but after calling to check his eligibility, he was told he did not qualify because he had never smoked. In January, after struggling to breathe, he went to A&E at his daughter's insistence, where the truth emerged.
Shocking diagnosis after months of symptoms
Speaking to the ECHO, Ellie, a student at the University of Liverpool, described her father's symptoms: “He was having chest pain and shoulder pain. He was very lethargic and tired. He had a loss of appetite.”
She explained that because David had a blood condition for most of his adult life, doctors repeatedly directed his symptoms towards that condition. When he called about the lung screening letter, he was asked if he had ever smoked. “He had never smoked a day in his life. And so they said, 'okay, you're not eligible, you don't need to do it.' So that was that, he didn't think anything of it in November,” Ellie said.
It was only at the start of January, when David told his wife he was struggling to breathe, that Ellie insisted he go to A&E rather than book another doctor's appointment. It transpired he had advanced stage four lung cancer. According to the NHS, symptoms can include chest and shoulder pain as well as breathlessness.
Family challenges misconceptions about lung cancer
The diagnosis came as a huge surprise to the family. Ellie said: “We were shocked. He was very anti-smoking, so the fact that he got lung cancer was like, what? Before this diagnosis, we had that stigma, that misconception that only smokers get lung cancer, when actually that's not the case.”
Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, but it can also be brought on by other factors such as inhaling second hand smoke and air pollution, while certain blood conditions can put you at greater risk.
In January, David was given six months to live but died in April. Ellie believes the outcome could have been different if her father had been offered the screening. She said: “With lung cancer specifically, it's the third most common cancer in the UK. And it just makes you think, if everyone has lungs, why can't everyone be eligible for lung screenings regardless of if you smoked or not? Especially now with passive smoking.”
Daughter runs half marathon in memory of her father
After her dad's death, Ellie discovered the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. Based in Liverpool, the charity funds lung cancer research, supports early detection and challenges public misconceptions about the condition.
In March 2027, Ellie will run her first half marathon to raise money for the charity. She is currently on a placement year in Reading as part of her studies at the University of Liverpool and will take part in the half marathon there. She said: “It's the only foundation dedicated exclusively to those affected by lung cancer. I thought that was quite a shock. I wanted something more specific to my dad's type of lung cancer.”
Ellie has set up a GoFundMe which has raised nearly £1,000. She said: “I only started the fundraiser the weekend just gone. So many people have already donated. It's been amazing.” David, who worked as a police officer for 30 years, had hundreds of people at his funeral, which Ellie says is reflected in the donations. She added: “I'm want to make him proud and turn all these awful things that have happened since January into something in that would be valued at for a really important charity.”
