In June 2020, Demmy found a lump on her right breast and made an appointment with her GP to get it checked. It took her GP some time to find the lump at the appointment, however, to be on the safe side, she was referred to St. James Breast Clinic.
As it was during Covid, her appointment was cancelled twice and she eventually went for her follow-up in November 2020, 5 months after discovering the lump. In February 2021, she received her official diagnosis of breast cancer.
Her treatment consisted of 4 months of chemotherapy and 16 sessions of radiotherapy, ending in November 2021. In a few months’ time, she hopes to have her reconstruction surgery.
By sharing her story, Demmy hopes to spread awareness, especially amongst her community. She is originally from Nigeria and has found that not a lot of Nigerian women in Ireland are aware of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer or how to check themselves for it. She hopes to change this and encourage others to talk about it more.
She considers herself to be one of the lucky ones, having found it in time and getting it checked out. She is currently on tamoxifen, awaiting her reconstruction surgery.
