“I had a bad pain in my side and blood in my urine. I went to my GP and he gave me a course of antibiotics. The pain remained so I went back again and he gave me more antibiotics, but he also sent me for an ultrasound.”

“I am lucky my GP was cautious and pushed for a scan at that point. It was the afternoon after the ultrasound on April 6th, he said they had found cancer on the top of my left kidney. Everything he said after that went over my head. On the 6th of May I had that kidney removed and went for follow up scans and biopsies.”

“Five years later, following numerous scans, I was given the all clear. Then sixteen years later at the beginning of 2022, I started getting the same symptoms, mainly blood in my urine. I went back to my consultant and had another scan. 

“It showed the cancer had returned in my other kidney and had spread to my bladder, adrenal gland, pancreas and some of my bones. Hearing all that, I thought I was going to die within months.”

Anne explains that her consultant felt positive about her treatment “He said there was no cure but that with the maintenance treatment I would be on, I would have a good quality of life and hopefully a number of more years.”

“I started this new treatment in June 2022. I began with radiation to help treat the cancer in my bones but I had a terrible reaction. There are weeks of summer 2022 I don’t actually really remember at all.

“Besides the initial radiation, my treatment has been totally manageable. My current treatment is across a 21 day cycle, I am on medication for 14 days and then have 1 week off. During these 21 days, I have 1 day of bad side effects. In my mind, I just block that day off and stay in bed. However when it’s over, I am back to myself again. 

“Every three months I go to Lanzarote with my husband, I plan these trips when I finish my course of treatment. When I return, I start up my medication again, I feel very lucky that my treatment agrees with me and I can make plans. At the moment, many of my tumours have actually reduced in size.”

Anne points out the progress that has been made in cancer research “The treatment I am currently on now, was only in trials when I first had my kidney removed sixteen years ago. Now it is helping me live a relatively normal life, with my cancer. In general there are now so many more treatments available. Often if option ‘A’ doesn’t work, most times you can try ‘B’ or ‘C’.”
 

On advice she gives to other people, Anne says “It is vital to speak and talk about your feelings, even if you feel people are fed up of listening to you. It really helps you to feel better.

“My friends will call me up and say ‘is it an okay time for a coffee?’ there is also a wonderful volunteer named Brenda in the Daffodil Centre in my hospital. She has gone through her own experience of cancer and has been so supportive. Emotional support is so important.”
World Kidney Cancer Day takes place today and Anne is keen to raise awareness of the disease.

“Be so aware of everything in your body, particularly reoccurring kidney or urinary tract infections. Push for a scan. It may be nothing, but it’s better to know in time if it’s something.
“Almost 700 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer in Ireland every year. I never smoked and I wasn’t a heavy drinker, but cancer doesn’t care. It can affect anyone.”