Caroline's Story
“When the doctor told me, I was very much in nurse mode, asking, ‘What do we do now?’. I wasn’t shocked. I remember thinking, ‘I already knew and at least now it can be dealt with’.”
Caroline O’Donnell, 50, noticed a lump in her left breast in November 2021. It was during the height of the Covid pandemic and Caroline was extremely busy as she was working as an ICU nurse, so she initially put off getting the lump checked.
“That December, my nephew hugged me and I was sore, so I realised I had to get it looked at,” says Caroline, who lives in Dundalk, Co Louth. “I couldn’t ignore it anymore.”
She went to her GP in January 2022 and was swiftly referred to Beaumont Hospital so the lump could be investigated. When she was in the Breast Clinic, Caroline already suspected that she did have breast cancer.
“I intuitively knew that I had breast cancer,” she says. “I knew also, because when I went to get the mammogram, they wanted me to do another mammogram on a different machine to get a clearer picture, and then I was sent for a biopsy. They seemed concerned."
“At the end, she said I’d probably have to come back in for the results, so I already had the idea of a cancer diagnosis in my head.”
When Caroline went back for her results with her husband, Kevin, she remembers not being surprised by her breast cancer diagnosis. It was discovered that she had stage two invasive lobular breast cancer in her left breast. She was unsure how to broach the subject with her three children, who were aged 10, 7 and 6 when she was diagnosed.
“I felt that I had to be strong and show no emotion in front of my husband and kids,” adds Caroline. “I was actually talking to one of the nurses in Beaumont, and she said don’t keep it from the kids, tell them and she gave me a booklet. So I told them what I’d be going through, but try not to worry.”
“I told them I was sick. I asked them what they understood by the word ‘cancer’. One said it was bad – so I explained to them in basic terms what had happened to my cells and that the doctors were going to remove the cancer, but I would also be getting medicine to help me get better. My youngest asked if he could catch it!
“I talked about me feeling sick and possibly losing my hair and, later, they were with me when I got my hair shaved. I didn’t keep anything from them, and I answered any questions they had. I also asked their teachers to watch out for them and let me know if they were OK in school. They were an amazing support to my family.”
After her diagnosis, Caroline was quickly scheduled for a left side mastectomy with lymph node clearance, but she encountered an unexpected delay.
“I was scheduled for a mastectomy after my diagnosis, but then I got Covid so it was delayed until March,” she says.
"Because of my nursing background, I knew what was going to happen. All of the healthcare professionals were fantastic, so I had no fear – I trusted them, and I knew post-surgery what I needed to be looking out for."
“All of the cancer was removed during the surgery. It was encased, so they were able to remove the whole tumour and the lymph nodes. They took 26 lymph nodes, and cancer was found in 20 of them.
“The surgery went well, post-op was fine, recovery was good, and I got back to normal quite quickly. Post-surgery, I did a lot of deep breathing, exercise, and physio. I was regimental with my physio exercises with the help and encouragement of the physiotherapists.”
After this, Caroline underwent 16 sessions of chemo followed by 20 sessions of radiotherapy, before finishing active treatment in late November 2022.
During her treatment, Caroline was made aware of a clinical trial, and she decided to take part in it in May 2022. She was motivated to do so because of her interest in cancer research, and because the close monitoring appealed to her.
“I had a meeting with a professor who explained what the trial was about, but he didn’t put any pressure on me,” says Caroline. “He gave me some information on it, so I went home and read up about it.
“I considered it, because I did want to contribute to improving cancer treatment, and I’m passionate about evidence-based research. But what also made me want to do it, is that a person I know had talked to me about her cancer experience.
"She said that once she was finished treatment, although she was going to follow-up appointments, in the interim she felt she was left in limbo and felt unsupported because the treatment was finished."
“So I decided to join the clinical trial, because you’re put on medication for five years and you’re monitored very closely throughout, and I felt like I needed that support. I wanted to help with research, and I also wanted that support system. The close oversight reassures me.”
Caroline is still actively enrolled in the five-year trial but has now returned to normal life. She’s back working full time, has developed a passion for creative writing, and enjoys playing an active role in encouraging her children’s interest in ballet and sports. However, she shares that she still worries about a cancer reoccurrence.
“I’m delighted that there are no issues now,” says Caroline as she reflects on her experience. “I felt relief when my doctor told me she was happy with how everything went, but I always have that worry about reoccurrence in the back of my head. But the team in Beaumont are very good at reassuring me.
“Thinking back on my experience, and what I would advise someone going through the same thing to do is to accept help. Whether it’s meals, homework, lifts or childcare – people want to support you, so let them.
“Also, it’s only now I am realising the importance of talking about your experience and feelings to others. This is difficult when you feel you don’t want to upset your family or friends but you can talk to a professional. It’s never too late. Everyone has different ways of coping – over time, you’ll undoubtedly find yours.”
