'This habit is the cause of death of one person every 40 minutes in the region - I found out I could be next'

One habit is the cause of someone's death every 40 minutes in the north west - and one grandma knows all too well the terror of finding out it could be you next.

Sue Scott started smoking at the age of 11, eventually ending up smoking 40 cigarettes a day by the time she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now, she is urging people to help end the number one cause of death in the region - smoking.

Latest analysis by Cancer Research UK estimates that tobacco causes the death of one person in the north west every 40 minutes. Smoking is linked to at least 15 different types of cancer - including lung and bowel cancer, and is estimated to be responsible for around 7,300 cancer deaths in the region each year, around a third of all cancer deaths in the north west.

Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features

Sue, from Littleborough, experienced first-hand the devastating impact of smoking having faced a lung cancer diagnosis just as she was looking forward to retirement and looking after her baby grandson. The self-confessed workaholic simply thought she was suffering from exhaustion from her busy job running a community hub.

As the funding for the project was coming to an end in the spring of 2019, she made the decision to stop work. But during the very first week of Sue’s retirement when she was turning her hand to DIY and caring for her one year-old grandchild, Jevonte, Sue began to feel light-headed and dizzy and also experienced stabbing pains in her back.

The grandmother-of-three, who had felt in good health for most of her life, just assumed she had pulled a muscle and possibly had a viral infection. But when the symptoms continued and she still felt exhausted,