In early March 2018, a couple of weeks before her hen party, Aileen White, then-aged thirty-eight, noticed a lump on her breast in the shower. “About a week later, I went in for a mammogram. I was heading to Liverpool for my hen party the next day. After doing the mammogram, they wanted to bring me back for a biopsy – they said go for your hen and we will do the biopsy next Tuesday. The hen was a great distraction.

From the minute I sat on the plane until the minute I was back on the plane coming home, I just put it out of my head and had an amazing weekend.” Ten days later after her biopsy, Aileen and her husband went to get the results. “I always remember the feeling of dread that I had. My husband was coming to meet me at the hospital, but he was a little late getting out of work and the consultant said, ‘let’s wait for him’. I knew then it was going to be bad news.”

“I was in total shock when I got the diagnosis. I was diagnosed with Grade 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Worry and fear kicks in and you worry about what lies ahead but the medical team provided great hope and reassurance given that they had caught the cancer at an early stage. My mum passed away from cancer in her 40s, and it sparked the fear and thinking that history may be repeating itself?’

“We were getting married abroad in May and the diagnosis made me more determined than ever to go ahead. I wanted to be married to protect my husband and children if the treatment wasn’t successful.

Aileen had a lumpectomy, a few weeks to recover and then it was time for her wedding. “After my surgery, we parked everything and headed to Spain. It was brilliant to be surrounded by family, friends and loved ones, and everyone at the wedding by that point knew about my diagnosis and they were all so supportive.”

Aileen’s chemotherapy began in late June. “After my third round of chemo, I contracted meningitis – that was a scary time for me and my family. I was moved from the Bon Secours in Glasnevin to ICU in Beaumont and spent four weeks there. After spending so much time in bed, I lost movement in my legs. I needed a physio and a walker just to help me learn how to walk again and get back on my feet. I was on IV three times a day while in hospital. My veins collapsed and I had to get a port fit into my chest to allow treatment to continue for meningitis and the remaining chemo.” Chemo finished in November and Aileen would go on to have four weeks of radiation from December 2018 into January 2019 before going on tamoxifen for around 5 years – she came off these tablets in October 2023.

Following a discussion with her local pharmacist, Aileen was recommended to try out the range of services offered in her local cancer support Centre, which is one of twenty-four local cancer support centres around the country where the Irish Cancer Society provides funding for counselling services. “The pharmacist knew by the prescription that I was receiving chemo. He kindly introduced me to the local support Centre and this centre became my haven, offering much-needed assistance and camaraderie. He also encouraged me to apply for a medical card to help with the expenses of my medication.”

Accessing a medical card proved difficult for Aileen. “When you are in the middle of treatment and dealing with that upheaval in your life, trying to fill out the different forms and get the supporting documents is the last thing you think of. It took me months and months to get a medical card – I was rejected the first time and had to reapply. I had social welfare staff ringing me when I was in hospital recovering from meningitis asking me for additional bank statements. I know the Irish Cancer Society has called for patients to be given a medical card straight away as soon as you're diagnosed. This makes complete sense and I fully support this call.”

On the financial reality of having a cancer diagnosis, Aileen says that this was difficult to cope with. “My job was supportive. For the first 6 months, I got paid in full but then it went to a reduced salary. The money you earn is going down, but your expenses are still going up. Life goes on, the kids still need to go to creche, the mortgage still needs to be paid, and on top of that, you have these new additional expenses from going through treatment for cancer. The costs rack up, even down to buying your wig, which is very important to women going through chemo, they can be very expensive. I remember my son playing with his Lego and he took the hair of the Lego figure and said it looked like me! You find humour along the way.”

Aileen is sharing her story to encourage people to reach out and make use of support. “The first thing I tell anybody when I hear about their diagnosis is they do not have to go through it alone. I went to my local support Centre twice a week and went to all sorts of classes. The class itself did not really matter. It was giving you a reason to get out of the house and then the cup of tea and chat afterwards with people going through what you were going through really helped. The support in general you get when you reach out is amazing.

The creche my kids were in was brilliant, my family and friends as well. Since getting the all-clear, I take part in charity fun runs, and I also joined a local “Gaelic for Mothers & Others Team” two years after my treatment ended. We train, play matches and in general have great craic. In July 2022 I was part of a team that arranged a GAA blitz, and we raised funds for the local cancer support centre. This was important to me to give back as they played such a big part in my cancer journey and funding helps them continue their work.”

“Life is good again and there is always light at the end of every tunnel. I’m 44 now and embrace every birthday as it’s a privilege to grow old, not everyone is afforded the opportunity to grow old.”