Pat Brogan, 68, has seen his stage 4 lung cancer shrink by around 30% since joining the EMITT-1 trial in February last year. He is now preparing to walk his daughter down the aisle and enjoy a holiday to Spain with his wife of 16 years, Linda. Pat said: “When I was first diagnosed nearly five years ago, I was getting ready to say my goodbyes, so to be here and to be living a relatively normal life, is a miracle.
“My mum, sister and dad had all died from cancer, so I thought that the run of awful luck might have ended with me.”
Grandfather-of-two Pat visited the doctor in 2021 after losing his voice. He was referred to hospital, where tests found tumours in his neck that were affecting his vocal cords.
He started chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which worked for around three years before his tumours started to grow again.
Pat, of Cowdenbeath in Fife, Scotland, was then offered the choice between starting more intensive chemotherapy or joining the trial. Six weeks after starting to take the new drug, scans showed his tumours were already shrinking.
Pat said: “Being on the trial has given me my life back. Not only have my tumours shrunk, but I have a good quality-of-life, something I might not have had with harsh chemotherapy.
“We spent a lot of time in Spain before my diagnosis, and now we’re planning to back for a holiday. My daughter is getting married in June and I’ll be able to walk her down the aisle, something I never thought I’d be able to do.” Pat, who worked for Scottish Water for 35 years before retiring, added: “I have a good life.
“I get up every morning and look forward to the extra time I have to spend with Linda and the rest of my family, including my two grandchildren who are just starting their adult lives. We’ve also got a dog — a Bichon Frise called Seamus — who keeps me fit with his demands for daily walks. Hopefully, by taking part in research, I can also make things better for people like me in the future.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
