“I’m sharing my story to let people know that what you’re feeling is valid. The counselling really helped me to prepare for that. You do worry it will come back."
It was during a spot of virtual Zumba in her living room that Martina Balfe from Clonee in Dublin began noticing a pain in her chest.
“I was doing Zumba classes on Zoom at home with my daughter during the lockdown and I just got a pain in the side of my chest. At first, I thought it was just my underwear digging into me, and over the weekend that turned into tremendous pain, so I went to the doctor,” says Martina.
“He referred me urgently into the breast clinic and the triple assessment was done and they said I had a suspicious lump in my breast and swelling in my armpit."Three weeks later, Martina was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.”
Her treatment plan included six months of aggressive chemotherapy, surgery and radiation treatment.
Martina is an advocate for wider access to the screening programme as part of an approach that encourages women to keep on top of their health and pinpoint any worrying signs, and she believes women need to be listened to when they have concerns to share.
“The breast screening starts for women aged 50 and over yet many breast cancers are also found in women under 50. Women should be asking their GPs to check their breasts regularly. It takes minutes. A lot of women don’t know what they are looking for when doing breast checks themselves, and there is some helpful information on this on the Irish Cancer Society’s website.”
Martina also had a negative experience of hospital car parking, being forced to sometimes take the train to chemotherapy sessions as a result.
“Car parking was a nuisance. It’s expensive and you might go in and not even get a space, so I relied on family and friends to drop me in and collect me. I took the train to my chemo on many occasions. When I was seeing the oncologist for the first time to get my treatment plan my husband had to leave three times to feed the meter outside the Mater Hospital. It’s a real added stress for people.”
Martina finished up treatment 2 years ago and has check ups every few months. She is keen to highlight the impact of a cancer diagnosis, post treatment.
“The anxiety is real because you’re out of the system. During treatment you have so many appointments and people are always checking in on you, but they day you finish treatment, you’re deemed better. But you’re not. You feel a real sense of being alone.”
“Its also a huge sense of responsibility- if I get a headache nowadays, I worry that the cancer is back and has spread to my brain, I’m sure that’s the same for many people who’ve had cancer.”
“I’m sharing my story to let people know that what you’re feeling is valid. The counselling really helped me to prepare for that. You do worry it will come back. But when you’ve had cancer, you always worry it could be cancer again, but don’t forget about the other things it could be. I recently felt exhausted and discovered I’ve had Type 2 diabetes for 2 years.”
Martina is now an Irish Cancer Society Peer to Peer supporter, helping others to navigate their cancer diagnoses.
Join us on March 22, and go all in against cancer!
Take part however you'd like - whether you step up to our 12,000 Steps a Day Challenge, host a coffee morning or bake, or organise a non-uniform day in your school your support makes such a huge impact on better cancer detection, treatments, and vital support services!
If you have worries or concerns about cancer, you can speak confidentially to an Irish Cancer Society Cancer Nurse through the Freephone Support Line on 1800 200 700.
Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm
For more information
Phone
0818 10 20 30
