The previous year she had started to gain weight, which she attributed to having given birth to her little girl Isabel the year before. “I was doing exercise and running and walking and I went on a diet but nothing made any difference,” recalls Thomasina who lives in Co. Wicklow. “I just knew something wasn’t right as my stomach was hard and big, almost like I was pregnant again, but I wasn’t.”

By November 2020, she was experiencing pain and she found tasks like stooping to light the fire were increasingly difficult. At night, it was painful to turn around in bed. Her GP referred her to St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin where she had blood tests, an ultrasound and CT scan. A cyst was suspected and Thomasina was transferred to the Mater Private for surgery. Following this operation, Thomasina received a diagnosis of ovarian cancer on January 26. Her treatment began with a hysterectomy, followed by chemotherapy.

“With the hysterectomy, they took a small section of bowel and I had a stoma bag for a week afterwards which was then reversed before I started chemotherapy,” says Thomasina. “I had amazing oncologists who were so kind and caring and the doctors and nurses were amazing too. I thought at times I couldn’t go on but every time that crossed my mind I thought of my family and my mam and dad, my little girl and my fiancé  and I fought on.”

She underwent chemotherapy every three weeks for six months. “It made me so sick at times but I got there in the end,” she says. “I lost all my hair, eyebrows and eye lashes which was hard but I thought it’s just hair and it will grow back.” Thomasina is now getting immunotherapy every three weeks until September and her recent scans have been clear.

Coming to terms with the knowledge that she cannot have more children has been difficult.  “It was tough to hear that you can’t have any more children, aged 27, and your life is completely changed,” she says. “But I am blessed to have my daughter and some people aren’t as lucky as me and they don’t get that chance.”

She hopes that sharing her story will help raise greater awareness of ovarian cancer.

“I was actually lucky that I got pain because ovarian cancer can be hard to spot and there aren’t always symptoms early on. If anyone thinks something is wrong, my advice is to just go and get it checked. I am so thankful for my life today and my other advice is to never give up hope and cherish everything. You only have one life so live it to the full.”