Mary’s Story:
Mary was 31, newly engaged and planning a move back to Ballina with her partner, Glenn… then a pain in her chest led to a life changing diagnosis. It turned her world upside down and her breast cancer battle began.
Passionate about building awareness amongst younger women and passionate about being a champion for women’s cancer care, Mary will be one of our ‘Magic Marilyns’ 💋 for this summer’s most happening event – the Marilyn’s Mater Paddle – https://eventmaster.ie/event/dWlqhnGSwV. Here’s her story:
“I got a bad dose of covid in February 2022. As I started to get over it, I was still getting annoying pains in my chest. When I mentioned this to a friend of mine, who was a junior doctor at the Mater, she rightly gave out stink to me and insisted I head along to get checked out.
“An initial x-ray showed that my lungs were slightly inflamed, not unusual after a bout of Covid, but I was advised to come back if the pain persisted. It did… and it felt a little different. So, on the 28th March, I was back in for CT Scan. It was the same day as I was due to graduate as a solicitor and the team were great at getting me in, getting me sorted and out in time for the grad ceremony. They advised they’d follow up, but I wasn’t too worried.
“I was surprised that they called the next day… they’d found a lump. It was a huge shock! I was working from home that day and by the time Glenn came home my mind was racing. I was only 31, and had none of the normal risk factors for breast cancer… there was no family history.
“Within days I was having a mammogram and biopsy at the Breast Health Clinic. And within a week my diagnosis was confirmed – triple
negative breast cancer – and it was very aggressive. We were floored! I was sent straight for fertility preservation and my IV chemotherapy was scheduled.
“By the time my chemo started just six weeks later my lump had grown from 3.5cm to 10cm. Chemo is scary. You can be the bravest person in the world, but when you’re sitting there with your line in, looking at so many other people in a similar situation – that’s when the realisation hits that you’re ‘really’ sick.
“Physically, I got through the chemo okay though. And the nursing staff on the Oncology Day ward were amazing. They are you’re ‘experts’, you’re cheerleaders, your comforters, your shoulder to cry on. And they are vital, because chemo isolates you, it shrinks your world – especially when it seems all your friends are out working, partying or getting married and having kids.
“October 3rd was my last chemo session. When I finished, my lump at pre- surgery to had shrunk to 2.6cm and my surgery was scheduled for the 29th November. It frightens me now when I think back to what I thought I knew about having breast cancer. I used to think you get a bit of treatment, they chop off your boobs, they give you news boobs and on you go… little did I know.
“When it came to my surgery, my consultant advised that what he wanted to do was a single mastectomy and full auxiliary lymph node clearance – as that would give the best outlook. That would mean that reconstruction would be out for a while as I’d need radiotherapy because the cancer had originally been in the mammary gland underneath the chest wall. At that stage I was encouraged to go along to a ‘Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day’ – a brilliant event where I was able to go and chat to other patients who had gone through a mastectomy, to really understand everything that might be involved.
“The surgery itself kind of freaked me out the most. I’d never had a full anaesthetic before. I remember crying saying goodbye to my little dog, Alfie, worried I wouldn’t see him again… I was being such a wuss! It all went so well though and the aftercare and support team were brilliant, they never leave you wondering, they ensure you’re okay with everything.
“By Christmas, I’d fully recovered from the surgery. I was referred for radiotherapy to start in January 2023. I had a chat with my Oncologist – the wonderful Dr Zameer – during the treatment. He was particularly vigilant and worried about secondary breast cancer. He wanted me to be really aware – he said you’re watching out for pain, fatigue, different symptoms – so when I mentioned how tired I was, a CT Scan was scheduled straight away.
“When the CT results came back they showed a soft tissue mass outside my thymus gland. The thymus is in the chest, between the lungs and behind the breastbone or sternum. They advised they couldn’t biopsy it because of where it is, it has too much important stuff around it. However, there was no explanation for something being there if it wasn’t cancer. I was Stage 4.
“Honestly, I think that was the darkest point. After all I’d be through and the chemo I’d had, for it to come back was shattering. I could see it was shattering for the hospital staff treating me too. One of the best things they did at that stage was to refer me to Pyscho-Oncology. My sessions with Susan there have been so helpful. Because you think you’re going to be gone… I had my funeral planned out, I had wills done and stuff.
“But, we had to find a way forward. My treatment team put me on oral chemo, or eternal chemo as I call it, and I’ll be on it until it stops working… and the great news is that, at the moment, it is working. I’ve been on it 14 months, I’m on cycle 20 and my thymus tumour has reduced and is holding steady at 4-5mm.
“And myself and Glenn decided we were saying ‘screw you cancer, we’re not letting you rule our life’ – so in April this year we got married. It was a fabulous day and I couldn’t have done it without the help of Karen, my oral chemo clinic nurse. the woman wo organises my scans, appointments, and makes sure I’m fit to take my chemo. She’s the woman that helps facilitate breaks for me getting married, going on holidays and generally living my life.
“What’s important to me now is spreading awareness and emphasising to young women how vital it is to regularly check your bits, don’t put it off, don’t ignore any signs! I share my story on my instagram @thegoodthebadandthecancer to show anyone diagnosed that there can be life after cancer.”
Also, my new motto is ‘Here’s to life, not fear ❤️’. That’s why I’m all in for the Marilyn’s Mater Paddle and getting Glenn, my friends, my brothers, his brothers… everyone involved. Let’s have fun, let’s celebrate and we can do it while raising funds for Women’s Cancer Care at the Mater.
“It’s my world, I’m going to enjoy it… cancer is just living in it.”
Mary Golden, Mayo and Dublin
You can grab your ticket to join Mary and her ‘Crew’, plus start your fundraising for Women’s Cancer Care at the Mater here – https://www.materfoundation.ie/marilyn
Thank You!
