Doncaster man who lost six of his family to cancer saved by x-ray

BBC News

05-04-2025

A man who lost six members of his family and his best friend to cancer has urged others to get tested after he received an early diagnosis which saved his life.Danny McLean, 61, said he would find an excuse every year to get a chest x-ray after losing both of his parents and all four of his brothers.The dad-of-three, from Doncaster, was diagnosed with stage one lung cancer in November and he had surgery to remove it at Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital in February."I think what frightens people is they think 'I've got cancer, I'm going to die' but if you go to the doctor, you get it sorted," he said.
His mum, Pat McLean, was the first in the family to be diagnosed with cancer, after she developed a cough which Danny said doctors tried to treat with a repeat prescription of cough medicine.It was later found to be lung cancer and, despite undergoing chemotherapy, she died a year after her diagnosis in 1984.Three months after her death Danny's dad, Michael McLean, also fell ill. He was diagnosed with cancer and died in 1985."He died in my arms on my mother's birthday. That was quite upsetting," Danny said.All four of Danny's brothers later had cancer themselves and died in their sixties - apart from his oldest brother, who died at the age of 59.He also lost his best friend and "brother from another mother", Phil Harvey, to the disease.As a result, Danny said he had expected to develop a form of it himself so he went for a check-up annually.
Last November, he noticed he was having difficult breathing and he decided to see a doctor.An x-ray at the Hallamshire showed an abnormal growth on his lung and further tests confirmed it was cancer.As it had been caught in its earliest stages, he was able to have it removed via keyhole surgery and he was declared cancer-free after the operation in February.He said he owed his life to the hospital."I can't thank them enough - the doctors, the nurses - they're amazing. They work so hard, and they don't get paid enough," he said.Mr McLean said the Macmillan Cancer Support team in Doncaster were "there for him all the time".He added: "You can walk in there any time if you've got any worries - you don't need to make an appointment."He said people should not let fear stop them from seeing their doctor."That was the problem with my brothers," he said. "They tried to brush it under the carpet, they daren't open the door to it."We're now winning the battle of cancer."We're getting more and more cures and loads of people are getting over it. It's not the big death sentence it used to be."
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