A woman from Anglesey who was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer 18 months after first noticing something was wrong is urging others to get symptoms checked without delay.

It comes as new statistics show almost four in 10 (38%) of people in Wales did not contact their GP with potential lung cancer symptoms within six months. Figures also reveal around half of people in Wales (51%) are diagnosed with lung cancer at the most advanced stage (stage 4).

Branwen Hywel, 50, was diagnosed with cancer in 2018. She had major surgery to remove half her lung, along with chemo and radiotherapy.

The 50-year-old non-smoker says she knew “deep down” that something was seriously wrong after struggling to keep up with her full-time job as a headteacher in London and feeling breathless on walks she had been completing for years.

"I just didn't have the energy levels. I'd usually had," she said.

"I'd always done a 70 hour week, you do as a teacher, and I just didn't have the energy.

“I was fatigued and very breathless and my feet and hands were twice their normal size.”

A CT scan in April 2018 showed abnormalities in Branwen’s lung and further tests revealed she had stage 3b lung cancer.

Branwen said: "I found out when we were walking in the cliffs of Pembrokeshire on holiday. I got a call that said your scan had lit up like a Christmas tree, 'You need to come back to London tomorrow for further tests'.

"Three weeks later, I was having an eight hour operation.

“When I was diagnosed, I was shocked and very, very scared. I couldn’t quite believe it was real and that this was my life."

After the diagnosis, she was told that with the treatment, the chance of cancer returning in two years was 75% and the prognosis for survival after five years was just 5%.

"I just kept putting one tiny foot in front of the other because if I thought about it all, there was no way I'd have got out of bed in the morning," she said.

"I just needed to get through it and survive treatment because if I didn't, I don't know what would've happened.

"I loved teaching, I loved the communities I served. So that was my drive to get back but also to do all the things a mid 40s person wants to do; I wanted to go to Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, and I couldn't believe that I might not be able to."

Branwen had major surgery to remove half her lung along with 18 chest lymph nodes. She also had three months of chemotherapy and 35 sessions of radiotherapy.

Following her diagnosis, Branwen finished work and moved from London to Moelfre – near her hometown of Menai Bridge - with her wife, Julie.

Although Branwen misses her job as a headteacher, she is making the most of life as a member of the Moelfre Mermaids – a group that enjoys cold water swimming.

She said: "It is the most amazing group of people. To be in that water bobbing about in all sorts of weathers makes you feel alive, so I'm so grateful to be able to do that.

“I miss my job terribly. I loved being a headteacher and it’s taken a long time to accept the slower pace of life. But I feel incredibly lucky to still be here."

At the moment she has no evidence of disease and does not need any treatment.

"Things are looking very positive," she said. "I'm no longer having scans or screenings. I'm incredibly lucky - last year I celebrated my 50th, I was able to go to San Sebastian and drink champagne with my partner."

She added: “What I’ve found is that people seem to treat those with other cancers differently to those of us with lung cancer. There’s still unfortunately a real prejudice surrounding the disease.”

She is now backing Cancer Research UK's early diagnosis campaign in Wales.

She said: “I’m incredibly passionate about helping people and spreading the message about early diagnosis. I hope people contact their GP with any concerning symptoms as being treated at an early stage is so important. And if you are struggling to be seen, please keep trying.

"It is so much better to be diagnosed early because that will mean that the treatment is kinder and your long-term survival rate will be so much better.

"My chemo took eight hours each time, so long-term that can affect your ability to cope. Even now I still have the impact six years later."

Cancer Research UK is urging people not to delay contacting their GP practice as detecting cancer at an early stage gives people the best chance of surviving the disease. Lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer deaths in Wales.

They say earlier diagnosis of lung cancer can lead to more effective treatment options and outcomes for patients.

Almost six in 10 people in Wales (55%) will survive their disease for five years or more when diagnosed at the earliest stage. This number falls to 3% when patients are diagnosed at stage 4.

The Welsh Government said: “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths and we are working with the UK Government on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which, if passed, will prevent children born on or after 1 January 2009 from ever legally being sold tobacco products.

“Our free NHS smoking cessation service, Help Me Quit, is available to support smokers, increasing their chances of success by 300% and has to date helped more than 100,000 people to quit smoking.

“We recognise the importance of early diagnosis and we are currently considering advice from Public Health Wales on how a targeted lung screening programme could be implemented in Wales, of which smoking cessation services will be an integral part.”