Jade Fardon, 33, from Watford, Hertfordshire, has been diagnosed with incurable lung cancer despite never having smoked. The business change manager first developed a cough in 2020, which doctors repeatedly put down to Covid, reassuring her it would go away on its own.
The cough did go away, but kept returning over the years. She visited her GP several times, and by 2021 she also developed a hoarse voice. Despite reassurances, she continued to experience symptoms, including nausea, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.
CT Scan Reveals Extensive Cancer
In April 2022, Jade compiled a list of all her symptoms for the GP and was referred for a CT scan at Watford General Hospital. The scan showed extensive cancer across both lungs. At the time, she was 29 and had never smoked, living a healthy and active life.
She said: "I had a cough, but everyone thought it was Covid and because I'm relatively young, when it went away, I didn't suspect anything. When I went to the doctor with my symptoms two years later, I did suspect it might be cancer, but not lung cancer."
The official diagnosis was ALK-positive lung cancer, characterised by a mutation in the ALK gene. She did not need chemotherapy but was given a daily oral cancer drug to target the specific mutation.
Brain Metastases and Treatment
The initial drug shrank the tumours and allowed her to return to work and live a relatively normal life. However, in December 2023, a check-up scan revealed 17 lesions in her brain. She underwent gamma knife therapy in January 2024, a targeted radiation treatment, which initially appeared successful.
By December 2024, Jade fell unwell with headaches, nausea, and sickness. Doctors discovered one of the 17 lesions had progressed despite the therapy, causing a brain bleed. Just before Christmas, she underwent brain surgery at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, to remove the lesion, which was successful.
Seizure and Ongoing Monitoring
In early April 2025, Jade began feeling unwell again with headaches and nausea, which she put down to migraines. On her way to volunteer at Brownies, she had a seizure, phoned 999, and was rushed to A&E. Scans revealed progression of another lesion in her brain.
She was taken off her original oral medication and given a new one, which has helped slow progression. After one further gamma knife treatment earlier this year, Jade is now monitored with MRI and CT scans every four months and has opted to move her care to the private sector.
Jade said: "This condition has been incurable since the very start when I was diagnosed, so this is my new life. Sometimes I pause and feel sad, but anyone could think that. Now I want to challenge assumptions of living with stage four cancer."
She is raising awareness and funds for ALK Positive UK, a charity for ALK-positive lung cancer patients, by completing Chris Hoy's charity cycle, Tour De 4, in September. Her fundraiser is on GoFundMe.
