In the six months to a year before her cancer diagnosis, 22-year-old Sinéad Breslin from Longford began experiencing unusual symptoms “I was experiencing extreme fatigue, back pain, changes to my menstrual flow, feeling full and bloated after I ate and also a feeling of gas in my stomach when I lay on my side.
“I was in my final year in college and at the time I overlooked many of the things I was experiencing and put them down to the fact that I had extremely long days, was on my feet all day, stress, and being generally worn out with college, placement and working part time. It is only with hindsight that I realise now these could also have been warning signs.”
In the month or two before her diagnosis, Sinéad’s symptoms became more severe “I was now dealing with severe abdominal, back pain and bloating, I couldn’t even eat.”
Sinéad went to the ER, spending fifteen hours there, and was eventually sent home as the doctors believed she might be experiencing muscular damage. The next week Sinéad had two visits with a locum doctor.
“On the first visit, they thought perhaps it was gastritis or gall stones. I was prescribed medicine and was advised to come back if symptoms did not improve. The pain and discomfort continued, so I went back to the same locum doctor and he said he would prescribe different medicine.
“I firmly requested a referral for an ultrasound and the locum doctor eventually obliged. I strongly urge people to be an advocate for their health and well-being. If you feel unwell, be persistent and speak up for yourself. I felt it was important to be seen straight away, so I went privately the following day. The ultrasound scan revealed that my abdomen was filled with fluid (ascites) and I had a large mass (cyst or tumor) on my ovary.”
Sinéad was admitted to Mullingar Hospital, it was here that the team conducted further scans and bloodwork. They also began the process of gradually draining the 7.5 litres of fluid from her abdomen over the course of the next few days.
Sinead was then referred to the St James’ Hospital where she was diagnosed with a very rare form of ovarian cancer (germ cell, yolk sack tumour) stage 1C.
“I was booked in for surgery to remove the tumour, one ovary, one fallopian tube and appendix. I received intensive chemotherapy and was in and out of hospital for months. My oncologist informed me that, in the future, my fertility would likely be a concern due to the intensive chemotherapy and removal of one ovary and one fallopian tube, however at that young age, starting a family was not on my radar.
"Words cannot express how grateful I am to the Irish Cancer Society and the Merrion Fertility Clinic for the tremendous work they do promoting the Childhood Cancer Fertility Project."
“Around the age of 25, when I had fully recovered from my treatment, I sought the advice of an endocrinologist and I was devastated to find out just how low my ovarian reserve was. I knew at that moment that I needed to do something urgently. This is when I was referred to the Merrion Fertility Clinic in Dublin to get the ball rolling on preserving my eggs. I was very aware that the cost of fertility treatment is very expensive. I hadn't been in the workforce for very long, so the thoughts of having to spend thousands of euros on fertility treatment, at such a young age and at such short notice, was really overwhelming.
“The Merrion Fertility Clinic informed me that I may be eligible for funding through the Irish Cancer Society. Shortly thereafter, I got the good news that the Irish Cancer Society granted me the funding and I was over the moon with happiness. After such a turbulent period in my life, the generosity of funding from the Irish Cancer Society has lifted a heavy weight off my shoulders both financially and emotionally.
"Words cannot express how grateful I am to the Irish Cancer Society and the Merrion Fertility Clinic for the tremendous work they do promoting the Childhood Cancer Fertility Project. Their help and compassion has given me so much hope. Even though there is a possibility that I may be able to conceive children naturally, preserving my eggs with The Merrion Fertility Clinic gives me the added peace of mind that I have been able to put plans in place in the event that I run into fertility difficulties in the future. The whole experience has given me reassurance and hope that I have increased my chances of starting a family in the future and for that, I am so incredibly grateful.”
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