Statistically, breast cancer survival rates are improving in Ireland as a result of the government screening programme for women aged 50-65 years. However, Breast Cancer Ireland feels strongly about educating our younger women and making them more aware of the importance of good breast health. Currently, we are seeing just under 30% of cases diagnosed for women aged 20-50 years! The best person to hear it from is someone who has gone through it, so below are some of our supporters who have tackled breast cancer and want to tell their story.
EMMA HANNIGAN (1972-2018)
BCI Patient Ambassador
We lost our dear friend, Breast Cancer Ireland Ambassador and renowned author and novelist, Emma Hannigan, in March 2018 (R.I.P)…
PAULA McCLEAN
BCI Patient Ambassador
Paula McClean was diagnosed with Stage II invasive breast cancer on July 8, 2011, at the age of 42. She had been at a family wedding…
BARBARA O'REILLY HYLAND
BCI Patient Ambassador
Twenty-two years ago, Barbara O’Reilly Hyland felt a lump in her left breast and went to her GP, who said it “was of no importance.” Barbara was delighted …
GEORGIE CRAWFORD
BCI Patient Ambassador
Georgie Crawford was just a couple of days shy of the end of her maternity leave last year when she first discovered the lump in her breast …
TERESA COSTELLO
BCI Patient Ambassador
I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 36 and my diagnosis was a total shock to me and of course my family and friends…
OLIVIA CARPENTER
BCI Patient Ambassador
Soon after she completed a 10km charity run, Olivia Carpenter’s husband, Gavin, gave her a great big hug. As he held her …
DENISE ASHE
BCI Patient Ambassador
My name is Denise and I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in June 2017 at 36 years of age. A painful lump in my left breast prompted me …
EMMA CASSIDY
BCI Patient Ambassador
My life changed on the 27th of June 2017. Three months after my 30th birthday I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer …
ANN EBLE
BCI Patient Ambassador
Dublin born Ann Eble was 48 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time in 2003. She recalls the feeling that something wasn’t …
GER COLLINS
BCI Patient Ambassador
Ger Collins (46) from Donabate, Co Dublin, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, after discovering a lump. After a triple assessment in Beaumont Hospital…
ORLA BYRNE (1980-2021)
BCI Patient Ambassador
Orla Byrne was just 42 years of age when she died from breast cancer in November 2021. Orla was an Outreach Coordinator with Breast Cancer Ireland and a much-loved …
LINDA BURGESS
BCI Patient Ambassador
Linda Burgess says her commitment to checking her breasts regularly meant that when she did get cancer, its effects were…
MADELEINE MCCOOLE
BCI Patient Ambassador
When Madeleine McCoole first discovered a lump on her right breast in the shower, she didn’t think much of it. “I have two young kids …
JULIETTE O CONNELL
BCI Patient Ambassador
My name is Juliette O Connell. I was 41 years old when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. There was no family history in my …
EIMEAR CREGG
BCI Patient Ambassador
I was 35 years old in 2018 with no history of breast cancer in my family when I first found a pea sized lump in my left breast. 6 weeks later …
AVRIL TIERNEY
BCI Patient Ambassador
My name is Avril Tierney. I’m a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, a sister and I have …
RACHEL MCKENNA
BCI Patient Ambassador
My name is Rachel McKenna. I’m 40 years of age and am currently diagnosed for the past 17 months …
