Clíona Murphy's story When Brendan and I met, like most Irish romances ours started in the local pub. I’d had my eye on Brendan for ages! Then one night, I was told by a ‘reliable source’ that Brendan would be in our local pub, so I made my way down determined to make him mine, and that I did. For years we argued over who made the first move. I maintained it was him and him me. A few nights before he died, I settled the argument and confessed all…it was me who made the first move and it was the best move I ever made. In 2010 we had our first girl, Niamh. We married in 2013 and had Fiadh our second girl in 2015. A house full of girls, Brendan was in his element. We were a young family with our lives ahead of us, the world was our oyster. However, that was set to change. On New Year’s Day in 2016 Brendan began to feel unwell. It started with heartburn but progressively got worse. Brendan worked in Dublin mid-week and one morning he rang me to say he had felt so unwell during the night, that he thought he would have to call an ambulance. At this stage I began to worry as this wasn’t like Brendan, so we arranged an appointment with his GP for when he was back in Cork. His GP diagnosed an ulcer and prescribed various medications. Nothing worked and over the next couple of weeks, Brendan got worse. Finally, on Sun 21st of February, we went to South Doc and insisted that something be done. The GP that night took one look at him and immediately had him admitted to hospital. By 3pm the following day, we were told that he had four tumours, one on his lungs, liver, kidney and pancreas. The tumour on his kidney was 13cm in size. It took weeks for an official diagnosis to come through. It was Melanoma. Stage 4 Melanoma. We couldn’t believe it - skin cancer - Brendan had no moles. So how could he have skin cancer? But this was good news. I remember at the time his wonderful oncologist telling us that he did a little dance around the office when the diagnosis came through as it meant there were treatment options available to him and a lot of work was being done in the area of Melanoma. For 6 months our lives went back to normal. Then in September, we learned that the treatment had stopped working. His tumours doubled in size again in a matter of weeks, so he needed something fast-acting. In Christmas 2016, Brendan was admitted to hospital for tests as he began to feel unwell again, but to our surprise the results were good, the immunotherapy was working. We were so happy; we had been given another opportunity. We had a fantastic Christmas that year, conscious the whole time that perhaps it could be our last as a family. And it was. The following May, we went to Parknasilla for our 3rd anniversary. As we were leaving, I knew Brendan wasn’t well, but he was determined to go. I wanted to go home but Brendan wouldn’t have it. His exact words were ‘if we have to go home now Clíona this will kill me’ so we stayed. We stayed for two nights; Brendan was very ill but looking back now I think he knew we wouldn’t celebrate our anniversary again. A couple of weeks later we met with his oncologist. As soon as we walked into the office, I knew the results were going to be bad. His tumours had significantly increased in size and were after spreading further. He had to be admitted to the hospital for a blood transfusion. Unfortunately, his Melanoma, this time was far too aggressive, and he died in Marymount Hospice just two weeks after his first infusion. He died the day before Fiadh’s second birthday. He was only 37.
Brendan died from cancer that is by in large preventable. Brendan’s death has left an unfillable void in all our lives. He will never celebrate another birthday with Niamh & Fiadh, he missed Fiadh’s first day in school and he won’t get to walk either of our girls up the aisle. When I look back, I feel we were lucky in some respects, we had a fantastic team looking after him. We were also lucky that Brendan was diagnosed when he was. So much had been done in the world of Melanoma. I remember reading his medical notes a couple of months after his diagnosis, before we received the official Melanoma diagnoses, it was expected that Brendan would only live for 3 months. He lived for 15 months and this was all thanks to the new treatments that had been developed. But it’s not enough, like Brendan there are so many people still dying from this horrible disease and that’s why it’s so important that research continues so we can find better and more effective ways of treating Melanoma. It’s hard to believe that a few simple steps such as the Sun Smart Code can significantly reduce one’s risk of developing Melanoma later in life. To anyone reading this, please think twice about going outside from April to September without taking the necessary measures to protect yourselves and your children. Trust me you don’t want to go through what we have especially when it can be avoided.
World Ovarian Cancer Day
OnWorld Ovarian Cancer Day, May 8th, new research from the Irish Network of Gynaecological Oncology, commissioned by Breakthrough Cancer Research, highlighted the lack of awareness of symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. The research results revealed that 4 out of 5 women in Ireland not confident in noticing a symptom of Ovarian Cancer The study is the first significant research ever done into the state of knowledge in Ireland on ovarian cancer and highlights that when it comes to recognising the warning signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer:94% of those surveyed could not name change/loss of appetite (eating less) as a symptom97% did not recognise frequent trips to bathroom/needing to urinate often (changes in toilet habits) as a symptom57% did not think that changes in bowel habits could be a sign of ovarian cancerOnly one in two (51%) think persistent pain and bloating are signs of ovarian cancerOver 75% of patients present with late-stage disease, partly due to the vagueness of symptoms and the similarity with other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Ireland has one of the highest death rates from ovarian cancer in Europe. Approximately 400 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year in Ireland and almost 300 women die every year. Ovarian cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer death in women in Ireland, after lung, breast, and colorectal cancer. Early diagnosis can significantly improve survival. 83% of patients diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer are alive 5 years after diagnosis whereas only 16% of patients diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer are alive 5 years after diagnosis. The clear message is that if you experience any of these symptoms for three weeks or more, you should contact your GP. The campaign also sought to dispel the myth that cervical screening detects ovarian cancer.
Poet Laurate for Wexford, Sasha Terfous wrote and performed a powerful spoken word piece entitled BEAT, featuring Melissa Harris, Deirdre O’Raw, Kat Shelley and Ingrid Halligan Dune, focussing on the symptoms of ovarian cancer and the experience of women’s ovarian cancer diagnosis.
BEAT - Raising Awareness for World Ovarian Cancer Day, May 8, 2022
Ocular Melanoma Awareness Month
May is also Ocular Melanoma Awareness Month, otherwise known as Uveal Melanoma - this is a cancer that develops in the eye. While it is a rare type of cancer, Ireland has one of the highest incidence rates in the world.
Approximately 50-60 people are diagnosed with uveal melanoma in Ireland each year. Unfortunately, some uveal melanomas can spread or metastasise to other organs such as the liver (approximately 50% of cases).
Once it has spread to the liver, it becomes more difficult to treat. As with all cancers, early detection is very important. Uveal melanoma can be treated successfully if caught early so we encourage people of all ages to have routine eye examinations.
You can watch this free webinar that we hosted including insightful talks, perspectives and Q&A from the partner of a person with uveal melanoma and two Breakthrough Cancer Researchers who are working in the area of uveal melanoma. Your support helps fund these projects so we are truly grateful to you for that.
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