Tara to run NY half marathon for Cuan

One step at a time is how Tara Doonan intends to complete the 21 kilometres of New York City's Half Marathon this coming St Patrick's Day in aid of Cuan Cancer care. It's remarkably similar to how the Cavan woman approached her recent diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Married in Killeshandra, Tara hails from Bawnboy originally.

“One of the many Doonans,” she laughs. The ‘footballing Doonans’ the Celt inquires? “The very same,” she replies, again with a chuckle.

Tara finished her cancer treatment last November. “This is the longest time I've been out of hospitals in nearly two years. I'm delighted to be this side of it all.”

A secondary school PE teacher in Carrigallen, Tara (37) first learned she had breast cancer in August 2022.

When she first found the lump on her breast, it was her young age that stopped Tara from believing what was happening. “Of course, when I found the lump, I immediately thought breast cancer, but I quickly reassured myself ‘Tara, you're under 40, how can that be?’ It was one of the things that kept my mind at ease until the diagnosis confirmed it for me. It's just one of those things. ”

Even still, the news came as a “hammer blow”.

There was no history of cancer in her family, and Tara's sporting lifestyle, she'd hoped, was another factor in shielding against such serious illness. But the word that would crop up time and time again is that cancer is “indiscriminate” in terms of who it affects. The day she went to Dublin, medics were able to tell Tara immediately that she had breast cancer, just not “what type”.

It wasn't for two more long and worry-filled weeks Tara would eventually learn if the cancer was spreading.

“Those two weeks were absolutely terrifying. It's hard to manage the mind, and the worst case scenario is never far from the front, but thankfully my prognosis was good, that it was just in the breast and just in the lymph nodes.”

Tara started chemotherapy in October of that same year. That lasted five months, followed by a lumpectomy, and four weeks of radiation therapy, all of which consumed summer 2023.

She has only just finished an additional course of post treatment antibodies.

Apart from the initial diagnosis after visiting the Mater Hospital for a “triple assessment” - mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy - Tara found the chemotherapy the toughest.

“Chemo affects everyone differently, and no-one really knows until they go in for it. Unfortunately, I got every side effect going. I was very sick for the first two months. After that I was switched to different chemo and I wasn't as bad. Being constantly sick, every day, for months, it gets on top of you. Just being in the house, not fit to go anywhere, it limits you.”

It all figured into another difficult aspect of cancer treatment - how does one “manage expectations”?

Tara was always quite active, and did a lot of running in her 20s, but hadn't done much since then.

After she finished treatment, even after the radiotherapy, Tara felt “floored” for months as her body struggled to recover, battling multiple infections.

“It was very frustrating because, mentally, I was ready to go, take on the world and put it all behind me, but physically, my body wasn't having any of it.”

Unable to go back to work, Tara needed a goal to work towards, which is when the notion to run the New York Half Marathon surfaced.

“I felt a bit purposeless just sitting at home. I needed something to work towards, and exercise is recommended as an important part of cancer recovery, so I started back trying to do a bit of running.”

Fast forward to today and Tara is questioning herself given just how difficult her recovery has been.

“I was definitely naive, to think I could do it so close to finishing treatment. I probably should have left it for another year maybe, but that being said, training is going well. It's slow but it's about building the confidence that I can go there and finish it, which is most important.”

Tara will be running in New York however with a specific purpose in mind - to raise money for Cuan Cancer Care in Cavan. For the support they provided at her lowest, Tara says she'll forever be indebted, and she hopes her story will spread awareness among the younger cohort.

“It was my husband [Kevin] who got in contact with them [Cuan], and I was hesitant. I just didn't want to be part of that world. I just didn't want to be in that club because it made it all that more real. But it was the best thing I did, and they supported me the whole way through treatment. It was unbelievable.

“Psychologically, physically, emotionally, even the practical support, there are so many aspects to the work they do, their resources and services. Even just to call in and have a cup of tea when I was having a bad day.”

Tara adds: “It's like a roller-coaster. They were brilliant and I said from the start of my recovery that I'd like to give something back so that they can continue to give this fantastic service to anyone else who might need it.”