Frances's story
“Starting smoking when I was 14 was one of the worst things I’ve ever done, but we didn’t have the knowledge and education then about smoking and its links to cancer that we have now.”
November 2026: Frances Kearns, 66, from the Navan Road in Dublin was diagnosed with lung cancer in March 2026 after she developed a cough that would come and go.
“I got Covid three times, and I had a cough that would come and go,” says Frances. “The cough had been going on for weeks, and it would stop and then come back again a few days later.
“My GP put me on steroids and antibiotics, but they didn’t help. When I went back to him a third time, he said he’d like it to be investigated further.”
Frances’ GP surgery was participating in the Beaumont RCSI Irish Cancer Society Lung Health Check pilot programme at the time.
This clinical trial, in collaboration with specific GP practices in North Dublin and the North East region, invited individuals at a high risk of developing lung cancer to attend community-based mobile scanning units for lung health checks.
After her third visit to her GP about her persistent cough, Frances was invited for a scan in the Lung Health Check mobile unit in the grounds of Beaumont Hospital.
“After the scan, I went to hospital for a biopsy and they discovered I had lung cancer. I went into complete shock when I was told it was lung cancer. I think I was probably in denial."
“After the doctor told me, he kept asking me if I was OK. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. I remember going back to the car afterwards with my husband and just bawling my eyes out. I couldn’t believe that this had happened to me.”
Frances, whose mother died from lung cancer in 2007, was sent for surgery in May 2026 and received some good news afterwards.
“The surgeon told me the surgery went very well, and the cancer was contained in one place,” says Frances. “He said they were very pleased with the surgery and my recovery. I was over the moon when he told me that, I was so, so happy and so grateful.”
While Frances’ recovery had some stumbling blocks, including a chyle leak, she is now doing well and notes that her experience wasn’t as tough as she thought it would be when she received her diagnosis.
“The healing was very, very hard,” says Frances. “I had the chyle leak after surgery and had to go back to hospital and have some drains put in. But after that, I never looked back and every day since, I’ve been getting stronger and fitter.
“My treatment after I was diagnosed wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I got great treatment and great support from the team in Beaumont Hospital.”
Looking ahead to the future, Frances says she’s hoping to go back to work as a cleaner in December. She’s happy that her cancer was caught early and would urge others who have persistent coughs to go to their GP and get it checked.
"I’m delighted that my cancer was caught early, but I always have that fear that it’ll come back. Cancer never entered my head when I was getting the tests before I was diagnosed."
“I put the cough down to Covid at first, because that’s what I thought it was. If you have a lingering cough, it’s so important to go to your GP and get it checked.”
A smoker from the age of 14, Frances says she was told that her lung cancer was likely linked to her history of smoking. She had tried to give up many times in the past but ultimately gave up smoking for good after her diagnosis.
“I’ve been smoking since I was 14,” says Frances. “I’d tried to quit before, and at one stage was off them for two years before I started smoking again. When I was diagnosed, I went on the HSE’s Quit Smoking programme and quit them for good.
“If you’re a smoker, I’d really recommend that you quit them – they’re not worth the risk. And if you’ve never smoked before, please don’t start.”
