'It’s taught me to cherish life': Two breast cancer patients share stories of support on Daffodil Day

A cancer diagnosis can turn your life upside down. Arlene Harris talks to two breast cancer patients who have found the support of family, friends and the Irish Cancer Society to be invaluable

Fri, 22 Mar, 2024 - 14:11

Arlene Harris

Today is Daffodil Day, the Irish Cancer Society’s annual fundraising drive to support breakthrough research and vital free services, including counselling, night nurse care, transport to and from cancer treatment centres, and phone and online support.

Devastating news

Jacqui Tangney from Killarney knows precisely how important these services are. In 2014, she found a lump in her left breast while she was in the shower and immediately went to the GP, who referred her to CUH for a triple assessment — ultrasound, mammogram and biopsy.

While results showed that the lump in her left breast was benign, the mother of two was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early form of breast cancer, in the right breast and was given the devastating news that she would need a mastectomy.

“I cried all the way home. I was in shock and so scared,” she recalls. “I was given a few days to consider whether I wanted immediate reconstruction and went for that, even though it meant a longer wait as they needed to have the consultant and the plastics team there on the same day.”

On August 21, 2014, she underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction. “I was very scared and nervous beforehand. Afterwards, I couldn’t move due to swelling. I had muscle removed from my back and under my arm for the reconstruction. But everything looked positive and, although doctors were waiting for more test results to come back, they thought that was the end of the treatment.”

A few weeks after arriving home, she got an appointment with her consultant.

The now-48-year-old was devastated to hear that the pre-cancerous cells had spread while she was waiting for surgery, and she would now need chemotherapy for Her2-positive cancer.

“I remember getting the news and crying from one end of the hospital to the other,” she says. “I was upset about losing my hair and looking sick in front of my daughters, family and friends.”

Jacqui Tangney from Faha, Listry, County Kerry pictured by Lough Leane, Killarney this week. Photo: Don MacMonagle

She underwent chemotherapy for four months, every two weeks and was given antibody injections once every three weeks over 12 months.

“I lost my hair, my sense of taste, my eyebrows and lashes and had severe pain and rashes as a side effect of treatment. I also developed a complication with my [breast] implants, so I had them removed and replaced.

“I had blackouts and further infections as well as nerve problems, which meant that I had a total of 11 surgeries from the first diagnosis to the present day.”

Despite her ordeal, the childcare worker is in good health today and says it’s because of the care she received from medical staff and cancer support services, such as the designated phone line which allows patients and family members to talk to a specialist nurse and get advice about dealing with their condition and the emotions which a cancer diagnosis can bring about.

“I am now much better, working full-time, eating healthily, exercising, and enjoying life,” she says. “I spend a lot of time with my daughters, parents, sisters, and brother — and also have eight pets, which keep me busy. I am monitored regularly and see my oncologist and the plastic department yearly. I also have a mammogram each year and see my GP regularly for checkups.

“I have had amazing support throughout from the Irish Cancer Society. I remember calling the helpline at the beginning and what the lady said on that day still sticks with me: ‘Dress up and show up to everything, even if it’s just getting dressed and going to the sitting room’.

“I would recommend this to anyone starting their [cancer] journey. I would encourage them to have even their smallest concerns checked and rechecked and reach out and talk to family and friends.”

Nurse calmed me down

Lynn Marie Cowin noticed a ‘pea-sized’ lump when breastfeeding her youngest child in June last year.

The mother-of-four, who lives in Kildare with her husband Gary, went to see her GP, who sent her for a mammogram “just in case”.

“I wasn’t worried when I went for the mammogram as I felt fine and just thought the lump was due to hormones from breastfeeding,” she says over the phone. “But I received a call the next day asking me to come back in for re-imaging, and that’s when I started to panic. I wondered why I had been asked to come back so soon.

“After the re-imaging, I was sent for a biopsy as they told me there was something there which needed to be checked with the lab.

“My husband and I were anxious but deep down, I kept saying that it had to be clear as I had just turned 38 and had four children, aged between nine and two.

“I was trying to be positive but the doctor broke the news that it was cancer and it had spread to my lymph nodes. It felt like I had been handed a death sentence — so many thoughts were going through my head and I worried that I wouldn’t see my babies grow up or grow old with my husband and see my grandkids.

“The breast care nurse was fantastic and calmed me down, saying it would be a hard year, but I could book a holiday for afterwards.”

Lynn Marie Cowin with her two-year-old daughter Evie.

Lynn Marie says it was “heartbreaking to see the hurt” in her family’s eyes when she broke the news, but further tests showed that the cancer hadn’t spread. Following an appointment with her oncologist, she was given a treatment plan.

“I was terrified at first, but once I knew what the road ahead looked like, it was easier,” she says. “I was very depressed and anxious, but in time, I grew strong and decided to mentally tackle the cancer and let the hospital look after my body.

“I took part in yoga and reiki and spent time with people I loved who would lift my spirits and not drain me. I realised how lucky I was to have a great support network — and that’s what pushed me through.”

Lynn Marie was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma grade 2 and started a 16-week course of chemotherapy last September. “It was very tiring, and I had nausea and bone pain."

She is currently recovering in hospital from a breast reconstruction. "I needed a full mastectomy and lymph node removal, so I decided to go for reconstructive at the same time.

“I wanted to feel like me when I woke up and didn’t want cancer taking that away from me.”

She misses her children, husband and friends. “It’s hard to rely on a lot of people because I am very independent — but I know it’s not forever.”

Radiation treatment begins in a few weeks, and she says when it’s over, she wants to travel with her family.

“I want to stop worrying, to grab life, see many places and spend time doing what I love with people I love - I don’t want any negativity,” she says.

She also believes in giving back and, a few months ago, set up a Shave or Dye (hair) evening fundraiser for the Irish Cancer Society support services, raising over €8,000.

Stay positive

Lynn Marie would encourage others recently diagnosed to take all the support offered and stay positive if possible.

“My advice to others going through cancer is that it’s so important to breathe, go for a walk in nature, trust their medical team and look after their mind by meditating and relaxing.

“Don’t let negative thoughts go around in your head—instead, plan for your amazing, fun-filled future. This is just a blip in the road, which you may look back on and be grateful for one day. It’s taught me to cherish life and live to my fullest.”

Lynn Marie is one of the lucky ones. Every year, 3,500 women and more than 30 men are diagnosed with breast cancer in Ireland. Thanks to earlier detection, improved care and targeted treatments, more people are surviving cancer than ever before.

ICS advanced nurse practitioner Carol Spillane says women and men can get ductal carcinoma in-situ, but it is “very rare” in men.

“Most cases are picked up on a mammogram, with no symptoms, but a small number will have a breast lump, discharge from the nipple which might be blood stained or a rash on the nipple which may be red and scaly.”

DCIS is a pre-invasive form of breast cancer, says Mr Aidan Manning, consultant breast surgeon at University Hospital Waterford. “The abnormal cells are confined to the ducts within the breast. However, if untreated, DCIS may progress to become an invasive breast cancer, with the potential to spread to the lymph nodes and other sites within the body.”

According to Carol, the Irish Cancer Society typically receives 5% of its income from the government and relies on the public’s generosity on Daffodil Day to provide free services and support to ensure nobody in Ireland faces the disease alone. “Your generous donations fund ground-breaking cancer research, trials and crucial, free support services for people affected by cancer, throughout Ireland," she says.