Coventry Telegraph front page: January 11

A COVENTRY mum's coughing fit saved her life - by bringing up a cancerous tumour.

Claire Osborn, aged 37, brought up the lump which turned out to be cancerous.

When doctors told her she had throat and mouth cancer she thought she was going to die.

But it turned out there was no other cancer in her entire body – and medics said her coughing fit amazingly saved her life.

Mum-of-six Claire, aged 37, of Dymond Road, Holbrooks, said she took the 2cm long lump to her GP and a biopsy revealed it was metastatic adenocarcinoma.

Doctors believe the tumour grew on a ‘stalk’ at the back of her throat which dislodged during her coughing fit.

Claire said: “The consultant turned round to me and said ‘It appears you have coughed up your cancer. Congratulations.’

“I was totally flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe a coughing fit had saved my life.

“If I hadn’t coughed it up, the tumour would have grown and almost certainly spread to my other organs.”

Claire was at home with her family home when she felt a scratching sensation in her throat on October 11 last year.

After five minutes coughing she felt “something dislodge” and fly out of her mouth.