Did you know? More than 3,600 women are affected by breast cancer each year in Ireland – and almost 40 men. Here is how your generosity helps us to support them. 💕 #CareForYourPair

We want to hear your story! We hope to represent the diversity of people who cancer impacts. Would you like to share your cancer experience to raise awareness and help support people affected by cancer? If you're interested in sharing your story, please fill out our form at cancer.ie/ShareYourStory (or send us a DM here on Instagram) and a member of our Communications team will contact you. 🔗 Link to the form is in our bio.

Last year, Rachael-Ann Mc Carney from Cavan discovered a lump in her breast. She visited her GP, who referred her to a local hospital. Rachael-Ann was distraught to find herself placed on the hospital's waiting list. “My body was trying to tell me something. I felt I needed to trust my gut. I knew I needed to push to be seen, as something just didn’t feel right,” the 28-year-old primary school teacher notes. Rachael-Ann then booked herself into the Beacon Hospital and was fast-tracked to Beaumont Hospital where she was booked in for an MRI, ultrasound and biopsy. When her results came back, Rachael-Ann was told that she had triple-negative breast cancer. There were four cancerous tumours in Rachael-Ann’s breast and signs of disease in one of her lymph nodes. “I was told if I hadn’t had this seen to in the next few months, I would have been looking at two years to live... I’s not something you expect to hear in your twenties, especially when you are feeling fine.” Rachael-Ann’s treatment included a double mastectomy, reconstruction, axillary clearance on the left side and fertility treatment. She hopes to begin radiotherapy in December. "When I initially got diagnosed, the first thing I asked my team after they broke the news was how long I had to live. After that, my main concern was losing my hair and breasts. My vanity certainly took over for a while.” Rachael-Ann visited our Daffodil Centre in Beaumont Hospital: “The nurse was so positive. It was nice to speak to someone who wasn’t your own family or friends. I remember she said something and it really stuck with me. ‘It’s like we are all stuck in traffic on the M50. Everyone else is going straight ahead. You are taking an exit for a little while, a different route, but you will come back on. You will get your life back and you will be a new and improved version of yourself.’ I thought that was just such a lovely way to put it.” 💕 Visit the #CareForYourPair link in our bio to learn more about breast health and about how you can support breast cancer patients this October. 💕

Emma Higginson from Tralee, Co Kerry recalls the moment last year that she noticed something unusual: “I had just finished breastfeeding my son Joel, and I couldn’t stop itching something on my breast and I found a big, hard lump. I then went to see my GP and was referred to the Breast Clinic in Cork." Emma recalls hearing the news of her diagnosis: “They told me the biopsy had shown that there was cancer present. They also found pre-cancerous cells toward the back of my breast and the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. I was in total shock, totally dumbfounded." "They started discussing treatment immediately and when they mentioned chemotherapy, it all started to sink in, how serious this was. The vanity element then popped up and I asked them would I lose my hair. They told me I would. I think it was then that my first tears appeared. "After this, they asked me was I planning on having more children, then more tears started to fall. You are in shock about the diagnosis and your own health and then suddenly you have to think about this other element. I hadn’t necessarily planned to have another baby at that point. My little boy wasn’t even a year-and-a-half then. I was just getting used to having him around.” Emma had fertility preservation treatment ahead of undergoing chemotherapy. She will have either a lumpectomy or mastectomy in November, then radiation. Emma used the Irish Cancer Society website to find information and support: “I find it always has the answers to any question I have. I know that I can trust what I am reading and know I am getting accurate advice,” she notes. Emma mentions something she has learned so far from her experience: “For me, I have found talking about my cancer so important. I found some people are afraid to say the word ‘cancer’ to me. I don’t think it should be so taboo... I want people to feel confident and comfortable talking to me about it. I have cancer, this is my news, and this is what is going on with me at the moment.” 💕 Visit the #CareForYourPair link in our bio to learn more about breast health and about how you can support breast cancer patients this October. 💕

Boobs, baps, knockers, norks - we use a lot of fun words to talk about breasts, but the most important thing is that we talk about them! Chatting with the women in your life about breast health increases the likelihood that they'll check their breasts. Small talk makes a big difference. #CareForYouPair by sharing and tagging two women you care about! 💕

⭕The Wheel's charity impact awards are now open for voting! If we have helped make a difference for your or a loved one, or if you want to support our work, we would love if you could vote for us 💛 You can vote on the link in our bio and it takes just a few moments. Thank you so much!

In the summer of 2019, 34-year-old Prab Brar noticed a small, uncomfortable lump on her breast, and in July 2019 she was admitted to A&E for severe stomach pain. She was referred to the Mater Hospital for a triple assessment and she remembers receiving the shocking news that she had invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer. Prab says, “When I heard that news, everything went dark. I really wasn’t expecting them to say that. I had no family history of cancer so it was such a huge shock for me." Prab, who is from India and lives in Maynooth, admits she felt scared at the prospect of treatment. As she has no extended family in Ireland, she decided to go to India to receive treatment, so that she would have her family’s support to look after her two children, while her husband stayed in Ireland for work. Prab underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a lumpectomy, then returned to Dublin in 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic. Her medical team in Dublin recommended she undergo a complete mastectomy to avoid any future risks. “I had my mastectomy with immediate reconstruction in July. Unfortunately, three weeks after surgery I was admitted to hospital due to a severe infection and had to undergo implant removal surgery, which didn’t go as planned. I am traumatised after surgery but I still choose my faith over fears,” she says. Prab contacted the Irish Cancer Society Support Line to access additional support to help in her recovery from cancer. She is currently accessing counselling to help her cope with the emotional impact of her cancer experience. “Cancer took a lot more than I expected emotionally, physically, and financially as well. It all affects you and stays with you... Along with the physical loss, the emotional roller coaster is a lot. "My family and friends are the strength that get me through the bad times, they are the most important people in my life. Please, if you have or you know anyone who is diagnosed with cancer, offer them an ear and give them a hug.” 💕 Visit the #CareForYourPair link in our bio to learn more about breast health and about how you can support breast cancer patients this October. 💕

Huge congratulations to @MelanieNocher for reaching the final 4 in RTÉs #UltimateHellWeek! Tune in to RTÉ tonight at 21.35pm to support Melanie as she takes on this incredible challenge, whilst raising vital funds for cancer patients across Ireland💛 📱 To donate text RECRUIT05 to 50300. Each text costs €4 with the associated charity receiving a minimum of €3.60 LikeCharity Helpline: 0766805278 The Wheel: Registered Charity Number 20040963

'I have learned to appreciate every day I am here' Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day and Eimear has shared her story 💛 A healthy 35-year-old primary school teacher who seldom ever had to take a sick day before an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis in 2018 changed the course of her life. As often happens the news was a bolt out of the blue for Eimear who had no family history of breast cancer prior to discovering a small lump in her left breast, which she was told had caused spread to her lymph nodes. She went through a year of treatment between 2018 and 2019, and she says the most important thing in her mind then was to get through it and start to feel better and live her life again. Eimear was happy to be able to return to the job she loves in early 2019. She fondly remembers life getting back to normal: going on holidays again, meeting up with friends and having nights out. While she appreciated regaining some normality there was always a niggling sense of anxiety for Eimear, and another unexpected and worrying development was to occur a year-and-a-half later. Having started to feel unwell the previous month she was taken into hospital on Halloween night 2020, and within a space of hours she learned that the cancer had returned in a different part of her body. She was told surgery would be needed later that week, but that her diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer was something she would have to live with and manage for the rest of her life. Eimear came through the procedure, but has unfortunately had some setbacks since then. "I would like to be able to travel alone and return to class teaching. I don’t want to waste the time I have left so I make the best of it and I have learned to appreciate every day I am here. I plan fun activities and even if sometimes I have to cancel at least I am making the best out of things,” she says. “I have kept sane by continuing to work remotely and keep in contact with work, and also researching my condition and possible trials has empowered me as I know I am trying the best I can to live as long as possible for my wonderful family and friends, and all who mean so much to me.”

"Like many people in Ireland, cancer has impacted my family. I decided to do the fundraiser in memory of my grandmother, who sadly passed away due to cancer. My mother also had breast cancer and went through cancer treatment. She received great care throughout and I wanted to do something to give back," says Elena O'Driscoll of Cork. Elena recently sacrificed her long blonde hair to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society. Her dramatic head shave has raised over €5,000 and counting for our vital cancer services and life-changing cancer research. "I really wanted to do something to help the individuals and their families who are facing cancer," Elena explains. She says she's thrilled that her fundraiser will help us to continue providing "free care and support for cancer patients and their loved ones across Ireland, and fund life-saving cancer research." We're looking for more people like Elena who are willing to brave the shave for breast cancer! Visit the link in our Stories today to register for 'Shave or Dye'. Elena's advice to anyone considering the 'Shave or Dye' challenge is "just to bite the bullet and take part! Your fundraiser may be able to help prevent someone else’s pain and suffering, or provide comfort to those who need it."

Claire Brangan from Swords, Co Dublin was 39-years-old with two children under the age of 4 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I found the lump and I went straight to my GP. It was very small, sometimes I couldn’t even find it again when I went looking for it... They examined it and referred me to the Beaumont Breast Centre,” Claire states. Claire had the triple assessment check at the clinic - a mammogram, ultrasound, and a biopsy. On 26 March 2019, Claire was diagnosed with breast cancer. “It's a shock to hear the actual words being said. You don’t expect yourself to ever hear those words. It’s mind-blowing, almost an out-of-body experience.” Claire’s treatment included a mastectomy, five months of chemotherapy, and one month of radiation. Claire is currently undergoing hormone therapy and taking tamoxifen. She notes that she is also experiencing symptoms of medical menopause. Claire mentions something she found helped her greatly: “I am quite a private person, but when I got diagnosed, I decided to tell everyone I knew on Instagram that I had cancer. I found any time I went anywhere and bumped into someone I knew, I would have to tell them the story. I found that very upsetting and difficult, for both me and them. Eventually, it was very rare that I met someone who didn’t already know that I had cancer. It really made life easier for me.” Claire has recently returned to work and is absolutely thrilled: “It was another step down this journey of recovery. Work was just normal life to me, it was a really big deal. When you are used to working full time, to be off work for a whole year is very, very strange. “In terms of any advice I would give from my own journey, I would say to people to just keep an eye on your body... If you are unsure of something, just get it checked and be persistent. "Finally, of course, it is so important to have hope. Hope that you are going to get through it and you are going to be okay.” 💕 Visit the #CareForYourPair link in our bio to learn more about breast health and about how you can support breast cancer patients this October 💕

Helen Flynn is a brave and resilient woman and lone parent to two young sons. She received a diagnosis for an aggressive form of breast cancer in October 2020. 💕 Visit the #CareForYourPair link in our bio to learn more about breast health and how you can support breast cancer patients. 💕