Martina's story
“I’m sharing my story to let people know that what you’re feeling is valid. The counselling really helped me to prepare for that. You do worry it will come back."
It was during a spot of virtual Zumba in her living room that Martina Balfe, 53, from Clonee in Dublin began noticing a pain in her chest.
“I was doing Zumba classes on Zoom at home with my daughter during the lockdown in April 2021 and I just got a pain in the side of my chest. At first, I thought it was just my underwear digging into me, and over the weekend that turned into tremendous pain, so I went to the doctor,” says Martina, a mother of two.
“He referred me urgently into the breast clinic and the triple assessment was done and they said I had a suspicious lump in my breast and swelling in my armpit. Two weeks later, Martina was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. “When I was told I had breast cancer, I was floored, really shocked and didn’t have time to process.”
Her treatment plan included six months of aggressive chemotherapy, surgery and radiation treatment. The office manager continued working from home during her treatment every Wednesday, thanks to the support of her Team. “I’d be able to answer phone calls and emails while receiving chemo in hospital and then log at home afterwards. I was fine until Friday night, when I would start to feel really exhausted and frail. Then by Sunday night I’d perk back up.”
Martina finished treatment nearly 5 years ago. She is keen to highlight the impact of a cancer diagnosis, post treatment. “Even though I’m now 5-year post diagnosis from this rare type of cancer, I’m still very much immersed in the reality of it. I’m still feeling the effects of it, both mentally and physically.
“The anxiety is real because you’re out of the hospital system. During treatment you have so many appointments and people are always checking in on you, but the day you finish treatment, you’re deemed “ better”. But you’re not. You feel a real sense of being on your own to deal with the lasting effects of cancer and treatment.
“There is also a huge sense of responsibility and fear that comes with life after cancer. If I get an ongoing headache now, or any ache or pain, I find myself worrying that the cancer has returned and spread. I’m sure many people who have had cancer experience that same fear.”
“I’m sharing my story to let people know that what you’re feeling is valid. The counselling really helped me to prepare for that. But when you’ve had cancer, you always worry it could be cancer again, but don’t forget about the other things it could be. After treatment, I felt exhausted and discovered I’ve had Type 2 diabetes.
Martina is an advocate for wider access to the screening programme as part of an approach that encourages women to keep on top of their health and pinpoint any worrying signs, and she believes women need to be listened to when they have concerns to share.
“The breast screening starts for women aged 50 and over yet many breast cancers are also found in women under 50. Women should be asking their GPs to check their breasts regularly. It takes minutes. A lot of women don’t know what they are looking for when doing breast checks themselves, and there is some helpful information on this on the Irish Cancer Society’s website.”
Martina also had a negative experience of hospital car parking, being forced to sometimes take the train to chemotherapy sessions as a result. Car parking was expensive and you might go in and not even get a space, so I relied on family and friends to drop me in and collect me. I took the train to my chemo on many occasions. When I was seeing the oncologist for the first time to get my treatment plan my husband had to leave three times to feed the meter outside the Mater Hospital. It’s a real added stress for people.”
Martina is now an Irish Cancer Society Peer to Peer supporter, helping others to navigate their cancer diagnoses.
“I see life in a different way now. I don’t sweat the small stuff. I travel whenever I can. I go to the gym and to dance classes, but I also listen to my body and rest when I need to as the fatigue is something that hasn’t gone away so far.
“None of us knows what tomorrow will bring, and we should never take it for granted as life can change in the blink of an eye”
