When Jacinta Farrelly tested positive for Covid in October 2022, she started isolating straight away. She had none of the typical symptoms of the virus and she wasn’t sick but a couple of days into isolating, she began to notice other things. “I started to get a bit of a stomach ache, and I ended up getting sick and it was completely black but I didn’t think anything at first because I’d just had a glass of Coke,” says Jacinta, who lives in Cavan. “A couple of hours later, I needed to go to the bathroom and everything was black again. Then I passed out.” 

She rang her father, who suggested ringing for an ambulance, which she was reluctant to do at first because she was still testing positive for Covid. She eventually gave in and was brought to Cavan Hospital, where it was suspected that she had a stomach ulcer. She returned home after a few days in hospital and felt fine. Jacinta received an appointment for an endoscopy, where some samples were taken from her stomach and on December 1, her sister drove her to get the results. 

The doctor told Jacinta that she had stomach cancer. “My jaw just hit the floor. I really wasn’t expecting it, and I was in a bit of a blur. He sent me to have some bloods down and a few things, and he’d told me I’d hear from the gastro team in Dublin but I didn’t take much in.”

Her diagnosis was Stage 4a gastric carcinoma. “I was only 40 at the time. It was very unusual for it to be in someone so young but it was just the luck of the draw,” she says. 

After that, things moved relatively quickly and she was put under the specialist care in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, but received chemotherapy in Cavan, closer to where she lives. “I was delighted that I wouldn’t have to travel up and down  to Dublin for chemo,” she says. “I used the Irish Cancer Society’s Volunteer Driver servicer for my chemotherapy and I have to say, I met some of the nicest people doing it. The time that they take out of their lives to bring people to appointments is amazing.” 

Her treatment plan included chemotherapy, followed by a total gastrectomy and she had a feeding tube fitted. “I returned to chemotherapy after this but I wasn't able for the last 2 rounds,” she says. Since then, she has had numerous biopsies of other organs, including breast, thyroid and liver as she has been told that she is at high risk of the cancer reoccurring. 

Before her cancer diagnosis, Jacinta had been living in a mobile home in her parents’ garden and she was saving up money to do repairs on this. After her diagnosis, that money went quickly, on everything from cark parking charges at the Dublin hospital to specialist foods and drinks. She set up a GoFund Me and was able to raise enough money to get an upgraded mobile home. 

Jacinta continues to get check-ups and she must eat a small saucer-sized amount of food every two hours. “In the beginning I thought to myself, this is going to be terrible and what will I do? But I’m full after that amount.” 

She hopes to be well enough in August to do the Coilcagh Boardwalk on her birthday and walk it with 15-20 people to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society. 

Her advice to others who get a cancer diagnosis is this:

“I think not to think that it’s a death sentence or it means that everything in life is going to change. Things are going to change dramatically but if you just take a breath, sit back and think to yourself, things could always be worse. They may not be great when you get diagnosed but it can always be a lot worse. If you have family and friends around, don’t be afraid to talk to them and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I have to say that’s the biggest thing that I have learned.” 

She adds, “If anyone experiences changes in bowel habit, lack of appetite or feeling full on small amounts, see your GP, it is always best to check.”

She also says, "Daffodil Day spreads awareness throughout the country. It’s a great way to raise much needed money for cancer research. Buying a bunch of daffodils will brighten your day, but that bunch of daffodils could mean so much more when you think where the money is going. You are helping to go all in against cancer when you support the Irish Cancer Society.”