“A lot of people were saying it might have been a blocked duct but I kind of knew, it just felt different,” recalls Mary of that worrying time.

“I went to the GP and because of my family history, he referred me to St James’s.”

Mary herself had previously tested negative for the high-risk BRCA gene, but nonetheless in the middle of August she received the news that she had an aggressive form of the disease known as triple negative breast cancer.

She began chemotherapy at the start of October lasting up until the end of February, after which she is expected to require surgery and radiotherapy.

Juggling a family with her three young children, Saoirse, Miles and Cadhla on top of chemotherapy is no easy feat, but Mary has found the Irish Cancer Society’s Volunteer Driver Service to be a great help during her treatment: “I use the service most weeks and it’s brilliant.”

Mary is philosophical about her breast cancer diagnosis, acknowledging that she is “one of the many unlucky ones who just happened to get it” after follow-up genetic testing confirmed that she did not have the BRCA gene.

Asked about a particular time that she feels cancer took from her, she casts her mind back to the first regime of chemo she was on, a time she describes as an incredibly difficult period.

“The chemo they put me on from October to December was one of the harshest ones there is. I feel like I missed out on those months with my kids. I was able to do stuff with them like colouring or reading books as that didn't involve too much exertion, but it was left to my husband Pat and family members to bring them to the playground, parks etc. and run around with them. Those months were hard. I felt like my body had given up on me. I had no energy, spent a lot of time in bed and was just wiped. Thankfully the chemo I’m on at the moment is a lot less harsh and I’ve energy for my kids and I’m really grateful for that.

Lengthy waiting times in hospital have unfortunately also been an issue for Mary, having to wait for up to 10 hours on occasion before being brought in for her treatment:

“It is difficult enough to have cancer, to have to come into a hospital every week or two to receive treatment which can cause difficult side effects without having to wait all day long. It is inconsiderate and unfair,” says Mary, who acknowledges it is a problem with the hospital system rather than staff, who have been very helpful.