I'm a cancer survivor — a privilege denied to many 

Karen Murray recently got the final all-clear, 10 years after she was first diagnosed with breast cancer.  She looks back on a long and emotional journey 

Karen Murray: "There is no right or wrong way to cope with cancer — fighting back is all you can do." Picture: Larry Cummins

Ten years ago, breast cancer came crashing into my life like a black sheep relation that nobody wants visiting them.

Barely a week into my 40s with two children under six, it hit like a ton of bricks. There had been no prior sickness, no warning signs, no family history. Just a lump that my GP initially played down as a ‘probably harmless’ cyst or fibroid.