Sandra’s Story:

It’s European Week Against Cancer #EWAC2023 (25-31 May) and today we’re sharing Sandra’s story to help support cancer care at the Mater.

A born and bred Dub, living in Summerhill, Sandra was struck down by what seemed like a bad kidney infection in early 2021. Tough battles lay ahead though – when things turned out to be a lot more serious.

“Coming up to Christmas 2020, preparations were a little different due to Covid. But with seven kids, 17 grandkids and a great-grandchild, it’s always a busy time for myself and my husband, Gerry.

Unfortunately, on Stephen’s morning I tested positive for Covid and that was me in isolation for a couple of weeks. Just before I was due to go back to work, I was getting an awful pain when I was going to the toilet. It felt like a kidney infection and, sure enough, my local Doc put me on an antibiotic to get rid of it. It seemed to clear up a little but wasn’t fully going away.

I was off to Spain a short while later – I do like a bit of travel – and I noticed when strolling up the hills, my bladder would come under pressure and I’d need the toilet. Then I started to pass small amounts of blood. Alarm bells were ringing. As soon as I got back I dropped in a sample to my doctor. My daughter initially brough me to Holles St. to be checked on, but they gave me a letter for the Mater.

At the Mater I was triaged fairly quickly and they had the results of the sample I’d left in to my doctor. They let me know there might be ‘something of concern’ and that one of the doctors would see me shortly. I actually rang Gerry at that stage and told him things were getting sorted – I was weirdly happy that they’d found a potential cause.

I was sent for a CT scan and when the doctor came to share the results with me, I knew straight away it was more serious. The scan had identified a massive tumour wrapped around my bladder.  It needed to be addressed immediately, I was told that I was being kept in and would be taken to theatre the next morning.

My family took the news hard and were very upset. I gave them a little bit of a lecture about being positive, I told them that’s the way they could help me most. In my own head, I was thinking – do I sink or swim – and I said to myself ‘well, you’re not bleedin’ sinking’.

In the op, my wonderful surgeon Greg (Mr. Nason) had to shave off more of the tumour than initially planned, but I recovered fairly well and started my chemotherapy. It was tough, especially when my kidney began to fail and I had to spend three weeks in the hospital, but I got through it. After that, I was being continually monitored and needed more chemo over New Year’s 2022.

However, the cancer was managing to spread and on the 5 April 2022, Greg (Mr. Nason) had to bring me back in to remove my womb, bladder, the tumour, the ovaries and another few bits and bobs – everything had to go. A check-up just over a week later found that it hadn’t all gone away – there was still some left in the lymph nodes.

As always, Mr. Nason, found a way forward for me. I’m treated with immunotherapy every 3 weeks, my blood are regularly checked and I have a scan every few months… And all is good right now. I don’t really see myself as a cancer patient. I know it’s life limiting but I feel pretty good on a daily basis. The family used to fret over me at the start… now things almost feel back to normal, so much so that we all headed to Florida at Christmas. I jumped on all those rollercoasters … not a bother.  If for any reason the current treatment stops working, then I’m hopeful there will be something else to help me keep going.

I’ll always be grateful to the wonderful staff at the Mater, especially Greg (Mr. Nason). From the Doctors, Nurses, Health Care Assistants, to the ones that do the bloods to the people that take your name, the cleaners – everyone I’ve come across who has any part or anything to do with the Hospital have been fantastic to me. They are worth their weight in gold.

If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d keep €20 euro for myself and bring the all the rest up to the Mater, just so they could continue to treat others like they’ve treated me.”

Sandra Ryan, Longford

If you want to make a donation to the Mater Hospital Foundation in support of Cancer Care you can do so by clicking the link below, selecting ‘European Week Against Cancer’ from the drop down menu, and selecting your donation amount.
www.materfoundation.ie/donate/