Profile: Brigid, breast cancer survivor

Brigid O’Sullivan was putting on suncream on her summer holiday when she noticed a dent under her breast. Nearly 18 years on, she is still living with cancer – and a positive attitude to boot.

“After I was diagnosed I found out I was pregnant. I already had two boys from my first marriage and they were 14 and 17 at the time. Professor Crown said to me, you aren’t the first person to be pregnant with cancer, and you won’t be the last, you can have the chemo during your pregnancy.

“I did and Jack arrived ten weeks early, small, but perfect. At the time I worried I wouldn’t see him go to primary school, and now he’s started 5th year in secondary school.”

Two years after her breast cancer diagnosis, Brigid’s cancer reoccurred in her hip bone. She had radiotherapy and her cancer went into remission for 9 years, before reoccurring in her lung.

“I don’t want to scare anyone. For the majority of people, they get cancer, it’s treated and that’s the end of it. I’m in the minority. But even still, my story shows that it is not the death sentence it once was. For me it’s a longterm illness, I can live with it.”

And live she certainly does. “I enjoy life more now than I did before I got cancer. I say yes to everything! I go on holidays, nights out, you name it. I don’t worry about money because you can’t buy your health. I’ve seen my middle son get married, I have two grandchildren, my eldest is due to get married next year and my youngest will do the leaving next year. It’s these special moments that I mark my life by.”