New website provides vital cancer support

By Geraldine Fitzgerald

‘Good news’ stories for women with breast cancer are celebrated during October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, but sadly some of the 1,257 women diagnosed with breast cancer in Cork each year receive a devastating terminal diagnosis that rarely makes headlines.

Metastatic Breast Cancer refers to breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. While treatable, it cannot be cured.

Approximately 700 Irish women present with the disease each year – sometimes called advanced or Stage Four Breast Cancer - and currently there are around 3,200 women living with the disease in Ireland.

These women often report feeling isolated or forgotten, as many conversations around breast cancer focus on recovery.

TodayMyWay is a new website devoted to supporting and educating these women and their loved ones. It offers holistic support, houses information related to diagnosis and treatment, and realistic advice for living well with the illness. TodayMyWay aims to give these women a voice and show that they are not alone on their journey.

Professor Janice Walshe, consultant oncologist at St Vincent’s Private Hospital, explained: “Metastatic breast cancer remains a misunderstood illness. It is important that patients and their loved ones can easily access information related to managing the illness and that’s why TodayMyWay is such an invaluable resource. In talking about metastatic breast cancer, we can help demystify it and ensure that no woman going through this feels alone or unsupported.”

Áine Murphy one of the thousands of Irish women living with the disease. “When I was first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, I had no idea of what to expect. I had never met anyone else with this illness and I didn’t know where to find reliable information. I was scared, confused and alone. Once I reached out and accessed support, however, it allowed me to release many of my worries and realise that I was not alone.”

See todaymyway.ie.