I Was a Child Cancer Victim..& I Wouldn’t Change It If I Could

IF there is one word that can scare a grown adult stiff, it’s cancer. But imagine being told you have this dreaded disease when you are only a child.

That is what happened to these brave girls. Their childhoods were cut short by the cruel sickness that was destroying their young lives.

These inspirational youngsters not only fought cancer once – they had to find the strength and courage to beat it a second time.

Now they, and others, have penned their experienced in a book produced by CanTeen, a nationwide support group, called Bad Times, Good Times.

CanTeen can be contacted on 01 8722012 or www.canteen.ie

CIARA BARRY, 19, FROM RATHFARNHAM, CO DUBLIN

IT all started in January 1999 when I was 13. I ran home one day and found it difficult to breathe so I went to the doctor and he discovered a lump in my neck.

Next I was sent to the hospital for X-rays and scans.

They diagnosed me with Hodgkin’s disease and was told that I would need six months of chemotherapy.

Of course as innocent and young as I was, I thought this was just a fancy name for something stupid because to me I looked fine and healthy.

I thought my treatment would consist of taking a tablet every day, but boy was I wrong.

The doctors allowed me home for the weekend and it wasn’t until then my parents told me this so called "stupid disease" was cancer.

I hated that word. That was the word that made your hair fall out. I was so wrapped up in the fact that my hair could fall out I forgot my life was at stake.

The next day I walked on to the cancer ward in Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin.

It was like a whole different world behind that door, that no one ever sees until it happens to them.

Bald-headed kids running around playing, with their chemotherapy drips being dragged behind them.

There wasn’t a bother on them. This was just a normal thing for them.

Eight months of treatment and an operation seemed to do the trick and I was given the all clear.

Life returned to normal and things were looking up.

But in October 2000 my cancer decided to pay me another visit, and this time it decided to stay a bit longer.

After four months of chemotherapy I went for radiotherapy.

When that was finished I had a bone marrow transplant in August 2001.

What followed was the worst weeks of my life, full of hair loss, nausea, fever, rashes, infections and diarrhoea. You name it I had it.

Seven weeks later I was on a long road to recovery, but I feel with the help of my family and friends and of course CanTeen I’ve come through it all.

Three years since my transplant and I’m full of life as I await one of my check-ups.

I got my Leaving Cert results and have just started nursing. Weird I know, you’d think it would be the last place I would want to work.

So would I change having cancer if I had the choice?

That’s a hard one but it would have to be no, because it’s cancer that has made me the person that I am today and I wouldn’t change that for the life of me.

Life’s too short, so I’ll leave you with a quote that James Dean once said that I live by – Dream as if you’ll live forever, Live as if you’ll die today.

LISA KIRWAN, 22, FROM COOLOCK, CO DUBLIN

MY experience began at the early age of five. For weeks I had a horrible cold sore that just wouldn’t go away.

So after months of going to my local GP I was sent for a blood test in Temple Street hospital.

I can’t remember exactly what happened after that except I was prodded with needles for what seemed like hours and the fear I felt was overwhelming.

Eventually I can remember Daddy carrying me up to a ward where I was put in a room on my own.

A doctor came to see me and told me I had leukaemia, a cancer of the blood.

I was only five so I didn’t understand what cancer was, but I knew it was serious.

Treatment started soon after that and my hair fell out in clumps.

For me this was the worst part of my illness.

I was in isolation and only my parents were allowed to visit.

The treatment made me really sick and I used to have nosebleeds for hours.

After about a year in hospital my leukaemia went into remission and I was allowed home.

After a year off I returned to Temple Street for the usual fortnightly check up.

When I got to the ward we were called in first which was unusual because we were last in the queue.

The doctor then began to tell me that they thought my leukaemia had come back. I was more upset about the fact that I was going to lose my hair again.

It had just grown back all nice. I was also going to miss out on a trip to Lapland that the hospital had arranged.

But my motto was I got through it the first time and I was definitely going to do it again.

I don’t ever remember thinking, ‘That’s it, I’m going to die’.

The fact that I could die never even crossed my mind. After another strong course of chemotherapy and more sickness and nosebleeds, things began to look up for me. I began to get well again.

I am 22 now and have been free of cancer since I was 11.

Although my experience was at times horrific, I never look back and say, ‘Why me?’.

I believe everything happens for a reason and what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger.

The way I see it is if I had never had cancer there would be a lot of things I would have missed out on.

I wasn’t the most pleasant experience for me and I wouldn’t wish it, on anyone else but I’ll never wish for it never to happen, it made me who I am today.

FIONA DUNNE, 22, FROM TRIM, CO MEATH

IT was October 21, 1989 and I was seven.

My dad seemed to think that my left eye was protruding quite severely in comparison to my right one and brought me to see our doctor.

Our GP in turn sent me straight to Temple Street hospital where I had many different tests, biopsies, scans and X-rays. Eventually a tumour was found on the muscle of my eye.

Overnight I started on my first course of chemotherapy in Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, three days in then three days home to recover.

The chemo was very severe and I was vomiting every half hour, day and night, quite severely and every time I sat up I would get a bad nose bleed.

I lost all of my beautiful hair, including my eyebrows, eyelashes and even on my arms.

When I was on my treatment I was too ill to eat and lost a lot of weight.

I spent most of my time unconscious too weak to open my eyes.

After six months of this my scan came back clear.

But just over a year later, my dad, upon checking my eye, noticed it was protruding again. I was petrified, but at least I knew what to expect.

This time I had six months of chemotherapy and thankfully I was given the all clear a second time.

Unfortunately only six months later the tumour was back with vengeance. I was terrified, I imagined that I would spend the rest of my probably short life ill in hospital.

I was sure I was going to die this time. I was tired of fighting and couldn’t raise any motivation at all.

Then it was suggested to me that surgery may be the answer.

There didn’t seem to be much choice and it was my last chance to beat this.

I agreed to have my eye, eyelids, optic nerve and muscle removed.

I had a prosthetic eye made and unrealistic as it is, it’s my pride and joy.

It stands for all the fighting I did over the years and proof that you can succeed against all odds.

I was finally free, enjoying life again and happy.

Two years ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Louise. I was always told I would never have children so she is also a miracle baby.

My life is fantastic and I find success in every aspect of it due to the determination I have gained over the years which proved I can do anything I set my mind to.

Cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I know I can deal with anything life throws at me.