‘I should have gone sooner’
A breast cancer survivor has said that sharing her story has helped her in her path to recovery.
“I found a lump in my breast in the shower and I ignored it for a couple of weeks. It was the day that I had my mammogram that I knew,” said cancer survivor Madeleine McCoole who is sharing her personal story in an effort to spread breast cancer awareness across the country.
Madeleine, who was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, is the Cork ambassador for 100k in 30 Days, an annual event that raises essential funding for Breast Cancer Ireland.
Speaking to the Cork Independent, Madeleine, who lives in Carrigaline, said she doesn’t find it difficult to talk about her survival story.
“From the start, I really wanted to take any positives I could from it. I’m sharing my story in the hopes it might help anyone else going through their own journey really gave my experience a purpose,” said Madeleine.
Madeleine, a Tipperary native, was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer on 22 April 2018 at the age of 42, shortly after finding a lump in her breast.
Over the next couple of weeks she says the lump had got “a lot more obvious” until one day, while attending the doctor with her son, she asked to be checked.
“I should have gone in sooner. I had a mammogram two weeks after that. A week later when I got the results, I was actually fine. I had prepared myself for it. I was lucky because I got it early,” said Madeleine.
Doctors told Madeine she had a “nasty grade three tumour” in her breast which was growing quite quickly but that they had caught it in stage one of its development.
She was given a 97 per cent chance of survival and did not require a mastectomy.
However, having had her lump removed, Madeleine learned she was at high risk of the cancer returning and underwent six months of chemotherapy followed by 20 sessions of radiotherapy.
She said: “I knew there was a challenge ahead with treatment, but if I had ignored it, that could have been a totally different story.”
Madeleine, 45, must now undergo an annual mammogram and is receiving ongoing treatment in the form of monthly injections but says she experiences no major side-effects.
“I’m totally fine on a day-to-day basis. I have a lot to be grateful for. It's changed me a lot, but for the better, and it has helped me realise what I'm capable of and that I'm stronger than I gave myself credit for,” said Madeleine.
Last year 100k in 30 Days raised over €1.2 million in crucial funding for cancer research in Ireland and this year organisers Niall Carroll and Cara McAdam are hoping to raise even more with a target of 20,000 participants.
The family-focused virtual event invites the public to walk, jog, run or wheel a total of 100km or more during the month of June.
As an additional incentive, there are close to €30,000 worth of prizes to be won including a €3,500 family travel voucher.
Registration for the event opens today, Thursday, and organisers are urging people to register early to ensure that participation packs and the much loved pink t-shirts arrive in good time.
Proceeds from the event will help to fund life-saving research and the provision of good breast health education and awareness programmes nationwide by Breast Cancer Ireland.
To register visit 100kin30days.ie.