Stories/Lived Experience
Author: Aoife O’Brien, Academic Council Officer, Maynooth University
When I was asked to write a piece for this blog, I felt quite flattered. But the truth is, I’m not that special. I’m one of about 3,600 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020.
It was early in August 2020 when I discovered the lump in my breast. An unusually persistent pain prompted me to look at myself in the mirror, and I noticed the skin looked rippled. I knew enough to know that was a warning sign and on closer examination I could see and feel a lump, about the size of a golf ball. I was hesitant in contacting my GP, hoping that the problem would just sort itself out. But of course, it didn’t. It stayed there, defiantly staring at me. So, I went to the doctor to have it checked out, all the time convincing myself that it was probably nothing. When my GP quietly told me she wanted to refer me to the Mater Hospital for further investigation, my confidence was rocked a little, but even then, I kept telling myself it would turn out to be nothing.
Continue reading “It’s Probably Nothing: My Breast Cancer Diagnosis”