Granny Discovers Her Curved Drooped Nails Were Signs of Lung Cancer

A grandmother has shared photos of her curved ‘ugly’ nails to raise awareness that they can be signs of cancer. 

Jean Taylor, 53, was shocked to discover that her curved drooped nails were signs of lung cancer. She’d assumed her nails, which curved down rather than growing straight, were a family trait, as her mother who lost half a lung to cancer had them as well. 

But when her daughter Stephanie spotted her nails, she was concerned. She Googled curved nails and found that they could be a sign of cancer. 

Jean assumed nothing would be wrong but decided to go to see a doctor to reassure Stephanie. 

Doctors recognized the symptom immediately and sent her for a series of tests. Scans found two tumors, the size of golf balls in her lungs. 

Jean had assumed her droopy nails were a family trait.‘I’d been working in a factory so my nails were really short,’ says Jean. ‘I got an office job about six weeks ago and they decided to grow. 

‘I’ve always had weak nails and I’ve never got them to this length because they were never strong and I was working in a factory. ‘My daughter said “god, they’re ugly”. I didn’t want to go to the doctor over a curved nail, but I did it to put my daughter’s mind at rest. 

‘She’s the Google queen, and when you Google it the first thing that comes up in big bold letters is cancer. ‘I felt ridiculous going to the doctor over a curved nail. I just thought I was wasting their time. ‘I never in a million years thought it would be this. Never. 

I just said “I feel stupid, but I’ve come about this” and I held my hand up.’ Jean hopes that by sharing her story she’ll raise awareness of a little known symptom of cancer. 

Jean now faces surgery to remove cancer from her left and right lungs, alongside intense therapy. After she was diagnosed, Jean went to a salon to have her ‘ugly’ nails painted a glittery silver, to celebrate them saving her life thanks to an early diagnosis. 

She also shared photos of her nails on Facebook to raise awareness of a symptom of cancer few of us are aware of. The photos have been shared more than 85,000 times.

‘These nails are my life savers and I’m not cutting them off,’ says Jean. ‘They’re gonna grow, and if I have to put silver bells and fireworks on the end of them to raise awareness, I will. 

‘I’ve got so many people sending me shares of their nails, but I’m no expert, I’ve only been diagnosed less than 48 hours. ‘People out there are terrified now and saying “my mum had that and it was never picked up and she died of lung cancer”.