Cancer survivor Tara considers herself one of the ‘lucky’ ones

What began as a bright summer’s day in August 2022 soon turned dark after a young Bawnboy woman discovered a lump in her breast.

Tara Doonan, who was just 36 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, is the Cavan ambassador for this year's Daffodil Day to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

A teacher in Carrigallen, Tara now lives in Killeshandra with her husband, Kevin Crotty, who has supported her on her cancer journey to remission.

“When I found the lump I really thought it was a cyst and that I didn’t have to be concerned about cancer until I was in my 50s and approaching my 60s even,” Tara told The Anglo-Celt this week.

“I thought cancer isn’t going to be my story and that any young woman who gets breast cancer is probably a rare story, and it’s not going to be me. So, I was completely floored when I went for my triple assessment and discovered I had cancer.”

Her consultant talked her through a treatment plan, which included surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

“It wasn’t until he mentioned tests to establish whether or not the cancer had spread that the penny dropped in relation to how serious the diagnosis actually was or can be,” recalled Tara.

“All the memories I had and stories I’d heard about people dying from cancer just rushed through me; the room went blurry; and the consultant’s voice went off into the distance, it was like something you would see in the movies.”

Tara endured a "terrifying" two-week wait to establish what type of breast cancer she had and whether it had spread to other parts of her body. “I suppose the big fear was that I was going to be one of those stories - ‘she was diagnosed with cancer and within six weeks she was gone’. That was at the forefront of my mind so I did everything I could to distract myself from those thoughts," remembered Tara.

She took into painting the house to distract herself. “I just kept focusing on each day and how grateful I was to be waking up every morning despite what may or may not lie ahead for me.”

Thankfully, it was good news. “I was one of the lucky ones because at that stage it hadn’t spread to my bones or any other organs; the prognosis was good and the medical team was confident that they would be able to treat it.”

Tara knew then she would get through it. She went on then to receive her treatments at the Mater Private. Tara also had surgery; initially the plan was a mastectomy, however chemo shrunk the lump to the point that a lumpectomy sufficed. She also underwent radiotherapy as recommended by the medical team to help prevent a reoccurance.

Tara had 28 sessions over four weeks and travelled up and down to Dublin almost every day for chemo and immunotherapy treatment.

“The doctors and nurses, everyone really were absolutely fantastic to me but it was gruelling and the travelling up and down so frequently drained me of all my energy,” she said.

After that, the radiotherapy treatment began and it was a "strange" few weeks.

“I was only in there for 15 minutes during the sessions but I found it exhausting and quite lonely because I was in there on my own - radiotherapy is so strong and toxic that nobody else can be in the room - so there I was on my own with just my thoughts," Tara admitted.

“Throughout every other part of the journey there was somebody with me whether it was a nurse, another cancer patient or a family member," she explained.

Once that was finished, Tara undertook immunotherapy treatment for a further six months and, by December 2023, 16 months on from diagnosis, her cancer treatment was complete and her healing journey began.

Throughout her treatment, Tara accessed supports from the Irish Cancer Society such as their help line.

“A fantastic nurse talked me through the process and cancer treatment in general which was such a great help to me at that time," she recalled.

“I accessed all the available supports as I moved through my cancer journey; I availed of their counselling service when I struggled with aftermath of cancer treatment; we also used the Travel to Care scheme, which helps with the cost of travel to and from treatment; I was also given the opportunity to speak to a financial adviser; every step of the way, the Irish Cancer Society was there - it’s just a fantastic wraparound service and I would have been lost without it to be honest,” she praised.

Tara added: “A cancer diagnosis affects every single area of your life; it affects everybody around you; and you’re thrown into the world that is so new and strange and unknown, so it was so comforting to have just one place that I could go to when everything that I needed was there - whether it was emotional, financial or logistical supports and even just having access to information, it really is amazing to have such a society that has thought of everything… every single aspect of a cancer journey is covered.”

Almost three years on from her initial shock diagnosis, Tara admits she “underestimated” the recovery process and timeframe.

But she's making progress and is positive for the future. "I’m doing as good as I can and my consultants are happy with my recovery so that is all very positive. They have advised me to be patient and have indicated to me that sometimes it takes a while to get back to yourself.”

Fertility

Meanwhile, Tara and Kevin had been trying for four years to start a family prior to Tara’s cancer diagnosis in 2022. She was due in fact to have her first IVF consultation two days after she was diagnosed.

“I had to cancel that but ended up back in the same IVF clinic for fertility preservation, which the Irish Cancer Society funds alongside the HSE,” she said.

“I was very grateful to be given the opportunity to freeze some embryos before starting treatment. For anyone that’s at the age of wanting or having children, a cancer diagnosis adds another layer of distress to the situation. So it’s amazing now that young people can freeze eggs or embryos in the hope that there is possibly some chance of getting out the other side of cancer for them.”

Tara says that ‘hope’ is all you have left when faced with a cancer diagnosis. “You have to hold on to hope; if you didn’t, you wouldn’t get out of bed some days. You’d get bogged down in the thoughts of it all… the worry, the stress, and the what ifs. I find that holding on to hope and appreciating every single day that I have is great. It’s about taking it one day at a time, hoping for the best and that’s all anyone who gets a cancer diagnosis can do. Everything else is outside of your control.”

And with regard to Daffodil Day on Friday, March 28, the Cavan Ambassador is encouraging everyone to “go all in” and support the cause in any way they can. “I know first hand the impact that the money raised on Daffodil Day has; those counselling sessions that I mentioned were free and all the supports provided by the Irish Cancer Society are free."

Tara also emphasised the importance of investing in cancer research. The Irish Cancer Society invests approximately €4M in cancer research every year, which supports new discoveries, therapies, safe and gentler treatments.

“The type of cancer I had means that, if I had been diagnosed 20 years ago, it would have been a very different outcome for me - I might not be here today," said Tara.

“I’m so aware that I’m one of the lucky ones; my prognosis was good, everything went well, the treatment worked, and I’m in remission. But there’s so many people all over Ireland living with cancer and holding on to the hope of treatment that hasn’t been discovered yet.

“All of this is such an important part of where the money raised on Daffodil Day goes and ensures that people are around for the birthdays, Christmas and all the other precious moments in life where memories are created. Isn’t that what it's really all about?”