In February 2024, whilst in the shower, I found a soft, moveable, round lump in my left breast.
My blood pressure literally dropped. I contacted my GP immediately and made an appointment to see her the next day. I convinced myself it was a cyst after googling the type of lump I had. I was only 34 at the time. My GP referred me to see a Breast Specialist, Dr Dhafir Alazawi. He referred me to the Beacon Hospital where I got the Triple Assessment.
The results confirmed that I had Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, ER-, PR-, HER2+ in my left breast, and also calcifications (DCIS) on my right breast. I was assigned to Oncologist Dr Lisa Prior. I complained of shoulder pain to her, following which I did MRI’s, a bone, CT and PET scan. The results showed lesions in my liver, but it wasn’t clear whether they were cancer and a biopsy was not an option due to their location. Treatment became no longer focused on intent to cure, but rather pro-long life / quality of life (Stage 4 due to potential metastasis). I think the worst part of all of the tests was the waiting – I was so anxious and then getting the news that I was potentially stage 4 at the age of 34, I was devastated and in complete shock.
I underwent 12 rounds of Taxol and Herceptin chemotherapy over 3 months. Whilst I was able to live a somewhat ‘normal’ life, my hair fell out so I ended up shaving it off. This was liberating as it was difficult to see it fall out and at that time, I didn’t even recognise myself in the mirror.
After finishing chemotherapy, tests showed no signs of cancer in my breast area, with the liver remaining unchanged. My doctor then recommended another 2 months of aggressive chemotherapy (AC) with intent to cure. I was supposed to take AC every 2 weeks, however it was very tough and prolonged – I had issues with my liver and ended up in hospital with an infection.
After treatment, I got test results including double sentinel node biopsy results which showed no evidence of disease in my body. I underwent a double mastectomy a week later and got good news that the margins were clear. I’m still taking Herceptin every 3 weeks and will continue to do so for a number of years. I will also do scans every 3 months.
I will be forever grateful to my oncologist, surgeon, nurses and all the team at the Beacon Hospital – not all hero’s wear capes! Finally, I’m very grateful to my partner who did the mini marathon and raised €6,000 for Breast Cancer Ireland, and to my family and friends who supported me in what was the most difficult time of my life. Cancer has not defined me, but made me stronger!
