My journey with Breast Cancer began towards the end of June 2023, while in the shower I felt a moveable and smooth lump in my right breast. To make sure I wasn’t imagining things I asked my husband to check and see if he could feel the difference. Following his agreement, I made an appointment to see my GP that week. My GP was fantastic, she was reassuring but also proactive in her approach. Given the size, feel and move ability she felt the lump was likely a cyst but wanted to send me for scans to be on the safe side and to give me the chance to have the cyst drained. We decided together that I would go to the Breast Clinic in The Maple Centre at St Vincent’s Private Hospital. Just over a month later on 27th July I found myself face to face with a mammogram for the first time, as I had just turned 40 this wasn’t something I thought would be happening for years to come! After a mammogram and ultrasound, the wonderful team on the day confirmed I did indeed have a cyst in my right breast, which they drained for me, however the scans had also shown some other areas of interest in my right breast that they wanted to examine further.

I must admit at this point a million thoughts were running through my mind, but the care and comfort shown to me at this point was second to none. I proceeded to have multiple biopsies of the 3 sites of interest, markers put in place and a core biopsy completed at the time. We all agreed that it made sense to do all the necessary tests. I left the Maple Centre with my appointment to return booked for 9th August.

The waiting and wondering in between could be hard, I’m naturally a positive person who gets on with whatever has to be done, as I had health challenges in the past and multiple emergency surgeries, I felt I already had a level of resilience and determination to face whatever might come my way. This was when I first started to explore other patient stories from Breast Cancer Ireland and listening to the “More Than a Lump” podcast. While I wasn’t talking to anyone directly, I felt supported and comforted by other women’s stories. I was also really lucky (if you can call it luck), that my incredible sister in law, Áine, had been on her own Breast Cancer journey in 2020/21 and she was an amazing support but also someone I could look to and see how well she is now. I cannot underestimate how much it helped. Especially when it came to telling my two boys, Alex (12) and Adam (8).

Trying to find the right words to tell your children that you have cancer is extremely difficult. I struggled with being able to say “I have cancer” to my children. Being open and honest with them was very important to me, most of all I wanted to reassure them that Mom was going to be ok. It’s the one part of my diagnosis that still brings tears to my eyes. Luckily for me I have incredibly resilient boys who have coped really well and have had the most wonderful support and understanding from their friends.

On 9th August 2023, I was officially diagnosed with Stage 2, ER+, multifocal invasive ductal carcinoma in the right breast. Due to the position and multifocal nature, it was decided from the beginning that a mastectomy would be the best course of action with immediate reconstruction and a plan was being put in place to head straight for surgery early September with my wonderful team led by Damian McCartan and Catriona Lawlor. As initial results for HER2 were inconclusive we needed to wait for further tests to return. About 2 weeks after my initial diagnosis, I found out that I was also HER2+, which meant a change in plan to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. My amazing oncologist, Janice Walshe, determined the best course of treatment would be a TCHP regimen, with chemotherapy over 18 weeks in 3 week cycles and a year of targeted therapy also in 3 week cycles.

My treatment started last September and I used the cold cap throughout my chemotherapy journey, even after I shaved my hair after losing about 60-70% of my hair after the initial round of chemo. Losing my hair was probably the most distressing part of my journey, I think it made the journey real versus going through the motions and taking each day as it comes, this meant something more lasting. Shaving the rest of my hair turned out to be quite liberating, I wasn’t leaving a trail of hair behind me wherever I went, I didn’t have to worry about how much was going to come out each time I touched my head and I could embrace soft and cozy hats and scarves.
After my first round of chemo I had a bit of a reaction which resulted in antibiotics being prescribed which I’m still taking, and my dosage of Taxol was adjusted to account for my sensitivity. Thankfully the rest of my chemo journey was pretty uneventful and I’m proud to say I finished my neoadjuvant chemo in January! A huge part was giving myself the freedom to rest when I needed to, ultimately the biggest gift throughout my chemo journey was being able to maintain a normal routine with the boys.

Due to my age (40) my oncologist requested I take a cancer genetic test, thanks to her we discovered that I have a genetic mutation called CHEK2 which increases the lifetime risk of developing Breast Cancer and Colon Cancer as well as increasing the risk of Prostate Cancer in men. I’ll be attending the Cancer Genetics Clinic in St James in June and this will also make it easier for my family to be tested and my children in the future. Following the discovery of my CHEK2 mutation I discussed bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction with my team and they were all incredibly supportive. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with implant and sentinel node removal in March and have recovered nicely.

My journey is not over just yet. Pathology showed that while chemo was successful and my node was clear, there were still some cancer cells remaining in one of the tumors at the time of removal. I have now started a new targeted therapy regimen called TDM1, this nifty and smart treatment carries a chemotherapy drug with the targeted drug to the HER2 protein in cells. I’ve now completed course 1 of 14, and so far, so good! I’m also still awaiting a final decision on whether I will undergo radiotherapy treatment. The final piece to the puzzle will be when I am started on Tamoxifen to suppress hormones which will likely put me into early menopause, fingers crossed that journey is not a complicated one.

While my journey is not over yet the majority is now behind me. There have been many things I have been grateful for over the course of the last 8-10 months, my naturally positive outlook being one as I have no doubt that helped along the way. The amazing medical team that surrounded me from Day 1, my consultants Damian Mc Cartan, Janice Walshe and Catriona Lawlor, the Breast Care nurses and oncology nurses who take such wonderful care of every patient who walks through the door. The friend I made on my second round of chemo where we bonded over a mutual love of clothes and that we both work in marketing. Connecting with someone else on the journey, albeit on a slightly different path has been huge. I’ll also be forever grateful for the support of family and friends, who make the journey so much easier.
However, what I’m most grateful for is the ongoing investment into Breast Cancer Research that is made possible by the fantastic work and fundraising of Breast Cancer Ireland. Throughout my journey I have benefitted from the result of research into Breast Cancer, from understanding HER2+, how cold caps can help patients keep their hair, or in my case aid the regrowth, the role of genetic mutations in breast cancer and not forgetting the incredible advancements in reconstructive surgery. The critical funding into these areas gives women like me a better chance at long term full recovery.