Leonidas’s experience of lung cancer screening
Leonidas is 70 years old and lives in Athens. He first heard about the SOLACE lung cancer screening programme in a presentation by the Athens SOLACE team at Shedia Home, where the Shedia Street paper headquarters are based. Shedia supports and empowers people who have experienced social vulnerability or exclusion and precarious housing conditions.
Although Leonidas already attended annual health check-ups, he was interested in getting a more thorough check of his lungs because of his age and history of cigarette smoking.
Watch Leonidas share his story in his own words:
Leonidas was contacted by the SOLACE team to schedule his lung check appointment, including a lung health assessment, taking his medical history, a low-dose CT scan and a spirometry test. From the start, he felt the team treated him with respect and helped him feel at ease.
When Leonidas was told they had identified a dark spot on the lungs that needed further testing, he was frightened. He says it took him about ten days to recover from the news. A follow-up scan at six months showed the shadow had remained static – it had not grown – and he was reassured to keep calm. He has since had further monitoring scans.
Looking back, Leonidas feels happy with his decision to take part and the overall screening experience. He was reassured not only by the examination results, but also by the care he received throughout the screening process.
