'I have NEVER smoked a single cigarette, but I got lung cancer': Fit and active mum, 32, diagnosed with stage-four cancer during pregnancy

• e-mail

When Lisa Briggs developed a shortness of breath and wheeze during her pregnancy in 2014, the doctors were certain it was asthma.

However, after the now 34-year-old from Melbourne started coughing up blood, it later became apparent that Ms Briggs had stage four lung cancer, which had spread to eight different parts of her body.

This was in spite of the fact that she had never smoked a single cigarette.

'The first question people ask is: "Did you smoke?" and then: "Oh, well it must be passive smoking then,' Ms Briggs told Daily Mail Australia.

Lisa Briggs (pictured with her son), 34, from Melbourne, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2014 - despite the fact that she had never smoked a single cigarette

Ms Briggs was shocked and devastated by the news - especially for the sake of her family (all pictured) - however, she felt she had to fight the disease 

'But one in three women who get lung cancer have never smoked, and I think the stigma around it leads to a lack of support.

'People who have the other types of cancer don't get questioned like people with lung cancer do. I worry about the impact that the stigma will have on my kids later on.

'I don't want them growing up, and having to tell people that their mother has lung cancer - they shouldn't need to justify the fact she didn't smoke.'

Lisa Briggs was diagnosed with lung cancer on 28 November 2014, and while she is currently nearing the two-year mark and doing well thanks to a clinical trial and targeted therapy, that doesn't mean the road to feeling well again has been easy.

'When I first heard that I had lung cancer, I felt numb,' Ms Briggs told Daily Mail Australia.

'It wasn't until I left the surgery that I panicked. I had two kids, my husband, Kirk, and a family. I thought I was going to die and I was so scared for them.'

While friends of Ms Briggs' had smoked on and off throughout her life, as a sports medicine professional, she had always avoided it and had no interest:

'Being fit and healthy was the major priority of mine,' she said.

She took part in a worldwide clinical trial that uses a targeted therapy and takes a drug every single day - this got rid of her active cancer within three months (pictured with her family)

She also underwent hypnosis and mental training, which helped the mum of two to have a positive mental attitude - she says self belief is key (pictured with her family)

The doctors struggled to diagnose Ms Briggs' cancer at first due to her being pregnant. 

Some of the scans were delayed as they would have proven a potential danger to her unborn baby, plus, as she said herself: 'All symptoms pretty much led to me having a blood clot.

'Aside from the coughing of blood, lots of the other symptoms were typical of other respiratory diseases,' she said.

'That's why lung cancer is so often called the silent killer.'

Ms Briggs maintains that lung cancer is easy to miss because many of the symptoms are reminiscent of other respiratory diseases (pictured: her partner, Kirk, with their son)

She believes that the funding needs to improve, so that people don't stigmatise the disease and associate it with smokers - one in three who get lung cancer have never smoked 

However, unlike some who might crumple in the face of the devastating news that she had such a serious condition, Ms Briggs knew she had to focus on getting better.

'I worked a lot with a mental trainer and did a lot of hypnosis,' she said.

'I remember in the early days my trainer told me to imagine my life at 80 years old, and I told him I couldn't because I would most likely be dead.

'He told me that with that kind of attitude I certainly would, and that I needed to believe in myself.'

Through the mental training, hypnosis and by following a clinical trial that uses a targeted therapy, within three months there was no more active cancer left in Ms Brigg's body.

'I still take the drug every day and it has saved my life,' she said.

'I think you should always remember that there are two ends of the spectrum when looking at statistics,' Ms Briggs says (pictured: her children)

With regards to advice for other men or women who are struggling and who feel isolated by their lung cancer, Ms Briggs says:

'It's natural to limit yourself when you're diagnosed with cancer, but I think you should always remember that there are two ends of the spectrum when looking at statistics.

'Self belief and thinking positively about your friends, family and loved ones is what will get you through each day.

'The training that I did was the difference between where I am now, and the dark place I would have been in had I not done it.'

Ms Briggs now works passionately with the Love and Light Lung Cancer Support Group in Melbourne, and she has written a book to help other lung cancer patients have a positive focus.

'Lung cancer has just five per cent of the cancer funding in Australia, but it's the largest killer,' she said.

'I'm trying to raise awareness of it, to change the stigma and to show people that you can come out of the other side again.'