Young paramedic died from lung cancer despite not being a smoker

Young Meadhbh, who worked in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, first noticed something was up in September of last year when she coughed up a blood clot.

Combined with an intermittent nighttime cough, Meadhbh rightly sought medical attention.

After a scan on her lung, medics pointed out a shadowy mass that turned out to be stage four combined small cell lung cancer.

Even though the non-smoker received chemotherapy, the aggressive cancer spread to her bones and lymph nodes.

Given only a limited amount of time to live, Meadhbh married her partner, Lee Cameron.

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Talking about his beloved late wife, Lee said the disease came “totally out of the blue”.

Lee said: “The specialists advised us that Meadhbh’s type of cancer was incurable.”

Meadhbh underwent three rounds of chemotherapy but was hospitalised each time with neutropenia.

Neutropenia is a condition where there is a low number of white blood cells in the blood.

Devastated, Lee recalled: “On the third time she was hospitalised, we were informed that Meadhbh’s treatment wasn’t working.

“The cancer in her spine was compressing her spinal cord; we were told that she had six to eight weeks to live, on December 23.”

Lee added: “Meadhbh was an incredibly caring and compassionate soul who had an outstanding passion for life.

“Her smile could brighten even the darkest of days and she was the life and soul of the party.

“Those traits are what made her an exceptional paramedic, a job that she absolutely loved.”

Lee is now fundraising for Beatson Cancer Charity, which supported the couple., by running the Loch Ness Marathon in October.

The 27-year-old said: “The support they provided to my wife and I was second to none, especially with Meadhbh’s prognosis.

“They even helped Meadhbh and I bring forward our wedding so we could still have our big day, which is something I am incredibly grateful for.

“Before passing, she had a bucket list of things she wanted to do and at the top was run a marathon.”