By Marjory Inglis, health reporter

A FIFE mother-of-two battling illness is urging local offices and businesses to direct their Christmas fund-raising activities towards lung cancer research.

Non-smoker Dorothy Moffat, who has been told there is no cure for her rare form of lung cancer, said that research funding for lung cancer falls far short of that given to other forms, particularly breast cancer.

She said the popular misconception seemed to be that people get lung cancer because they smoke, yet more and more non-smokers were being diagnosed.

“One in eight people with lung cancer have never smoked,” said Dorothy.

“People do not think of donating to lung cancer research yet it is the one cancer that kills most people in the UK.”

A part-time employee in the admissions office at St Andrews University, Dorothy said her colleagues give a donation to charity instead of giving cards—something she hopes others would pick up on this festive season.

She hopes her story will prompt other local offices and businesses or anyone raising money to direct it to lung cancer research.

She is in no doubt that her life is being prolonged by an expensive new drug, made available to only a handful of people in Fife and Tayside.

But she stressed Tarceva is not a wonder drug and does not work for everyone with lung cancer.

“I would not be here if I was not taking it—that is just a fact.

“For me, it works. They don’t know why it works for some people and not for others, or why it can also stop working all of a sudden. It is not a cure.”

She said the drug cost around £1600 a month when she started taking it 18 months ago. She has to take a pill every day.

“It is a whole lot easier than chemotherapy. You are taking one pill a day so your whole life is not inhibited by going to hospital for chemotherapy.

“Taking this one pill a day does not alter family life. It can be done quietly and you can try and get on with your life.”

As Lung Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, she urged people with problems such as an unexplained persistent cough, breathlessness, tiredness or lack of energy to visit their doctor.

The earlier the disease is discovered, the more chance there is of successful treatment.

“The campaign is trying to get people to go to their doctor early and be aware of the fact they don’t have to smoke to get lung cancer,” she added.

Dorothy’s own disease was diagnosed after a “niggly cough” that started in October 2004, persisted through that Christmas and into 2005.

After the cough failed to respond to antibiotic treatment her GP sent Dorothy to Ninewells Hospital for investigations and the diagnosis of incurable lung cancer was made in April 2005.

During an operation in Edinburgh, doctors removed half of Dorothy’s lung before sending her back to Ninewells for a three-month course of chemotherapy, all aimed at prolonging her life and controlling the cancer as much as possible.

Dorothy lives in Strathkinness with husband Roy, son Gary (23) and daughter Hannah (17), who is a pupil at Madras College.