Alanna's Story
“I told the doctor that the lump came out of nowhere, that I’d been doing regular breast checks and it just popped up and I knew it hadn’t been there before. I feel lucky to have found the lump when I did.”
In October 2025, Alanna Kells, 28, from Co. Cavan found a small lump in her breast. As someone who regularly checked her breasts, Alanna knew the lump was new but was initially unsure about going to her GP about it.
“I always did my breast checks standing up, but in October 2025 I was lying in bed one night when I found something slightly different in one of my breasts,” she says. “I asked my partner to check it too, and he said I needed to get it checked.
“I thought maybe it was just some muscle tissue. It felt like a pearl you’d get in boba tea. It was malleable and it wasn’t rock hard, which I assumed it would be if it was cancer. But I was able to move it around, and it blended into the surrounding tissue quite easily."
“I hummed and hawed about it for a day or two, but then I thought, ‘I should get this checked’.”
Alanna went to her GP who did a breast exam and then sent an urgent referral to the Mater Hospital in Dublin for further tests. In November, Alanna went to the Mater where she underwent a physical breast exam.
Alanna says the doctor who did the exam tried to get an ultrasound for her on the same day but was unsuccessful, so put in an urgent referral for her to come back for an ultrasound.
“Two weeks after that, the lump had gotten harder and bigger,” says Alanna. “I tried ringing the hospital, but I wasn’t getting through. I felt like burying my head in the sand. About three weeks had passed, and then I found the email address for the consultant’s secretary.
“They confirmed that they had received the urgent referral, but they didn’t have an appointment for me yet. The next day, they said they had a cancellation, so I was seen that morning.”
Alanna had an ultrasound, where the radiologist told her that they could see that her lymph nodes were inflamed and a biopsy was taken. A few days after this, Alanna got a call from the hospital as they wanted to confirm an appointment for a bone scan and a CT scan.
“I think, at that stage, I realised something was wrong,” she says.
On the 10th of December 2025, Alanna went back to the Mater for her biopsy results and her diagnosis.
"The surgeon was straight to the point and told me I had cancer, specifically stage three invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer, hormone positive and HR negative."
“They told me the ultrasound found two tumours, and that the lymph nodes were inflamed. The breast MRI showed that I had cancer across all four quadrants of my breast. It ended up forming into one tumour that I could feel.
“Who knows how much further it could’ve gone if I hadn’t followed up on the urgent referral.”
When Alanna was diagnosed, she went to the Irish Cancer Society website and ordered a free support pack, which she found very useful.
“I got some booklets and a tote bag, and a folder I brought with me to every appointment,” says Alanna. “I had everything in there, including my CT scan results from when I was initially diagnosed."
“One of the days when I was in the hospital in Cavan getting chemo, they said they needed to do a CT scan, and I was able to give them the results from my previous one in Dublin because I had them in my Irish Cancer Society folder."
“The pack included breast cancer booklets which I looked at, and caring for someone with cancer booklets which I gave to my family. It was great to have everything you needed all there in the pack.”
After she received her diagnosis, Alanna started the process of fertility preservation, but 10 days later, when she met with her oncologist, she decided the best course of action would be to stop the fertility preservation and start chemotherapy sooner.
She started chemotherapy on the 23rd of December 2025 and finished it in June. This was followed by a mastectomy, and the next step in her treatment will be undergoing radiotherapy.
One of the unexpected aspects of Alanna’s cancer diagnosis which has come into sharp focus is the financial toll it has placed on her. She supports the Irish Cancer Society’s campaign for Medical Cards to be issued to cancer patients at the point of diagnosis.
"I was in the final year of my PhD on a tax-free scholarship when I was diagnosed, so I had no PRSI contributions, meaning I am not eligible for PRSI-based social welfare supports. I applied for a Medical Card online, but I was rejected."
“I got another form to appeal it, but my brain is so foggy since doing chemo that I find it hard to fill in applications.
“It’d be great to be given a Medical Card at diagnosis – it should be a given. You have cancer, so you’re clearly unwell, and you know you’ll need to see doctors frequently, but the cost can put you off. Your priority should be your health, but then you have all these other things you have to deal with.”
Reflecting on her experience, and what she’d like others to know, Alanna says: “My genetic screening was all negative, so it just goes to show breast cancer can affect anyone at any age, even without a family history of it. It’s so important to be proactive about your health and to do regular breast checks, it can make a big difference.”
