The Lap in my Shoes fundraiser in aid of the Clare Cancer Support Centre in Kilnamona, Sláinte an Chláir, will be held this Saturday at Lees Road in Ennis. Dan Danaher spoke to people who have benefited from services provided by the centre

CANCER survivors participating in a major fundraising walk on Saturday will be presented with a special candle of hope.
Kilnamona parish priest Fr Seán Sexton, who has recovered from throat cancer, will bless and light a large 2ft candle at 11.30am during the Lap in My Shoes fundraiser at Lees Road, Ennis.
The candle will subsequently be moved and will remain lighting at Sláinte an Chláir in Kilnamona once the walk is finished.
It is expected that up to 200 candles of hope will be given to cancer survivors as a source of comfort.

A spokeswoman for the Clare Cancer Support Centre said cancer sufferers can also bring their own candles and light them off the large candle.
A number of organisations, including Clare Sports Partnership, Ennis Town Council and local athletic groups, are uniting to support the event, which also has The Clare Champion as its main media sponsor.

Clare Sports Partnership co-ordinator, John Sweeney, said there is hardly a family in Ireland that has not been affected by cancer.
“Those who get cancer can be from any walk of life and have any pasttime. There are many sports people who have passed away and many more who have fought hard and beaten the disease. Sláinte an Chláir do a wonderful job in giving support and advice to those dealing with cancer – individuals and families.”

Participating in walking and running for 30 minutes a day can help reduce the risk of developing some cancers.
“This level of physical activity is what we are trying to promote in our daily work,” he added.
Former Clare manager Ger Loughnane, who had acute myeloid leukaemia last year, will lead out walkers and runners at 12 noon on Saturday at Lees Road.
This will be preceded by a memory lap for people who have died of cancer, led by Dr John Hillery, while relay teams will head off at 11am.
For more ideas on how to get and stay active, see claresportspartnership.ie or getirelandactive.ie.

‘You are not on your own’

A WEST Clare ESB worker, who has lost five relatives to cancer, has spoken about the “humbling experience” of listening to patients recount their story in a local support centre.

Martin Shanahan, Tromora West, Quilty, lost his wife, Mary Margaret (56), on August 4, 2011, following a second bout of breast cancer.
Mary, a great friend of Theresa Murrihy who featured in last week’s Clare Champion, had previously got the all-clear. When the cancer returned, it was far more aggressive.
Martin’s father died of prostate cancer in 1998, while his brother, Eddie (66), died just two weeks ago. His father’s sister and her daughter in England also died from cancer.
Martin recalled Mary, who was a geriatric nurse in Ennistymon Community Hospital, used to enjoy visiting the Clare Cancer Support Centre in Kilnamona with Theresa following her own treatment. He decided to play his own part in trying to help others by attending the centre on a regular basis.

Martin tries to get to the centre one day a month and enjoys attending the men-only and group sessions, following in the footsteps of Mary, who liked to contribute as much as she could to the centre.
“It was a humbling experience for me hearing cancer patients at the centre talking about cancer. They have great courage to talk to each other. It is away from the clinical aspect of things, which is great.”

Martin recalled a young man from Galway recounted his experience through a DVD, which really impressed him. The man, who was in his 30s, had a very successful business in Dublin but suddenly was hit with prostate cancer.
“He had to go home. The first day he went back to his parents, he couldn’t control himself when he was urinating. He felt so devastated wearing a nappy and could only wear a tracksuit bottom. His mother did extensive research to attend group sessions like at the Clare Cancer Centre.
“The thing to remember is you are not on your own. Twenty years ago, people used to visit each other’s houses and came away feeling very light-hearted but society has changed dramatically. Centres like Sláinte an Chláir are the answer because they draw people together.”

Martin acknowledges he is fortunate to have his son, Eoin (16), who has provided great support to him after the loss of Mary.
“Eoin helped me, while Mary had the groundwork done for what we would face after she died. She had the courage to tackle her cancer head on and had the foresight to prepare both of us for her departure.
“She had five miscarriages. She won a trip to London from a Clare FM competition after sending in a poem about how I had helped her, even though she had helped me cope with difficulties,” he recalled.
“All the people who attend the centre have a story to tell and you get strength from them,” he said.

Mary had a mastectomy in September 2008 and was in remission up to 2011. However, that April, she noticed a pain in her leg after doing a charity walk.
Martin said Mary thought it was sciatica but the pain continued, so he persuaded her to get it checked.
“The doctors didn’t say much the first day we went down but a few days later, they phoned to ask Mary to go down to see them. When she went down to Limerick, she surprised them because she had gone downhill compared to previous visits.”

Following more tests, they met a consultant radiologist, who informed them the cancer was back in the bone at the end of June 2011. Mary only lived for a number of weeks after the second diagnosis, hastened by the formation of a clot.
“It was a hard thing to say at the time but you would be praying she would not suffer any more than she did. She said she had no pain, which was remarkable because the cancer had spread so fast,” he said.

For her first diagnosis, Mary thought she just had a “niggling pain in her side” after rowing with the Quilty women’s currach team. Martin used to row with the men’s team and thought she might have pulled a muscle.
A mammogram in Limerick showed a small lump, which had escaped her attention it was so subtle, despite regular checks.
A subsequent biopsy confirmed it was malignant and she went for an operation to remove glands under her arm. After 35 bouts of radiation, Martin thought his wife was “perfect”. However, the second time the cancer came back, it went the opposite direction.

Martin is still struck by the courage she showed during her illness. “She never gave in, she had great faith. Even in her final days, people couldn’t believe she had cancer, she was going so well and so fast.
“She was very healthy and loved walks. She never needed to do any great training, as she always seemed to be fit,” he said.

He also hopes people will turn out in their hundreds to support this weekend’s fundraising walk in Lees Road.
“Cancer can be frightening but when you meet a group of cancer patients who are so outgoing and prepared to talk about it and express it, it shows you, you are never alone. You can get a lot of strength and courage from people,” he concluded.

 

Lindsay calls for more resources after treatment

LINDSAY Walsh’s 57th birthday on June 10, 2010 should have been a day of celebration. Instead, the attendant at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Ennis was left reeling after being told she had breast cancer.

Having found a lump, Lindsay went to her GP and was referred to Limerick Breast Clinic. Following confirmation, she was told she would need surgery and radiotherapy.
“It was a shock at the beginning and I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to tell anybody. I didn’t want to tell my husband, my family,” she added.
“Once you get into the treatment and start, for me anyway, it gave me confidence that something was happening.
“After surgery, I went back to see my doctor and she told me that other biopsies had been done and it was one of the 10% of breast cancers that was an aggressive form, triple negative.”

As there were no drug therapies, her only option was chemotherapy. Lindsay said she was prepared to try anything. She still suffers from side effects from the treatment and is under the care of a physiotherapist, radiotherapy consultant, breast surgeon, lymphedema department and a pain management consultant in Limerick. She finds the Clare Cancer Centre in Kilnamona helps her forget the pain and down days.

Having attended the centre for the last year, she found it was most beneficial when her three-week cycle of chemotherapy ended.
While doctors and nurses provided great care and attention during her treatment, Lindsay feels there aren’t enough resources in the public system after treatment, once patients come out of what seems like a “safe cocoon”.
“I’m under the care of the radiotherapy consultant and it’s been very good. I have a severe pain in my breast, which apparently is something that can occur later on. I’ve got pain in my arm, including loss of power. I’ve had physiotherapy and all different regimes but nothing as yet will work. But I’m going to continue, I want to get back to normal.

“I’ve been out of work for two years and then all my money just stopped. Then you go through the process of applying for invalidity, which seems to be turned down for everybody with the after-effects of cancer.
“At the moment, I’m pursuing that because I can’t afford to have no money. I want to live a life. It’s difficult for many people because you have to access consultants.
“I’ve been trying since July 2 to get a letter from my pain management consultant for my review, which was on July 21. But the system is overloaded. In the future, I hope to have an appointment with a Dáil deputy and ask why the budget was changed and why the criteria is not there for cancer sufferers?

“I don’t want to be an invalid but I want it to be accepted that the treatment is nearly worse than the disease but, thank God, I’m alive. I have been up since 3.45am this morning with the pain and the worry. That happens two or three times in the week,” she said.

There are other issues after treatment, she notes. While there are shops that specialise in bra-fitting after a mastectomy, Lindsay found it a very sensitive issue.
“I felt very vulnerable and sensitive at the time. People have many different scars. They have many body issues,” she said.

She has completed a course in England with a small company who deal in specialised bras. Lindsay now passes on her knowledge and experience about bra-fitting to other women in the centre on a voluntary basis.

She hopes a large crowd will support the walk on Saturday. “The centre is a comfortable, safe, private place to come to. There’s a lot of people in the parish who come down to help. A lot of the women are very supportive. It’s just a brilliant place. We’re very lucky. People at the centre do their best to help everyone,” she said.