From sun-worshipper to skin cancer diagnosis: One woman's shocking wake-up call
A self-confessed 'sun-worshipper' has detailed how her attitude and relationship with the sun has 'completely changed' after she was diagnosed with skin cancer.
2020 was the first time Dubliner Jane Murray was told to get the mole on her arm checked. She was told by a friend who works as a nurse.
Jane noted that she 'put it to the backburner' but after more of her nearest and dearest started pushing her she felt 'that's too many people now' and she would go just to get the all clear. 2020 was the first time Dubliner Jane Murray was told to get the mole on her arm checked. She was told by a friend who works as a nurse. Pic: Irish Cancer Society
The personal trainer went to her doctor in November 2024 to get the mole checked, with the doctor confirming they weren't concerned but would remove it.
Earlier this year, Jane received a follow-up email, noting that she had initially questioned the need to return to the doctor.
On the insistence that she attend a hospital appointment, she told Extra.ie that she did panic 'a little bit,' but was reassured by the fact that she wasn't told she would need someone to come with her.
In the appointment, Jane was told that there had been a discrepancy about the staging of what they found which was then sent to a lab in Europe, where it was confirmed she had Stage 2 Melanoma. Pic: Jane Murray
'I went into the meeting with the dermatologist, completely blindsided,' she said, 'My husband was down in the car park waiting for me.'
Jane added that she '100%' should have been told to bring someone into the meeting with her, adding that throughout her whole experience getting the cancer diagnosis by her self was the 'most traumatic part.'
The 46-year-old was referred to a plastic surgeon who took two centimetres around and two centimetres down from where the mole had been to check if the cancer had spread.
In April, Jane got the all clear, but is required to go for mole-mapping every three months for the net year. Pic: Jane Murray
Speaking to Extra.ie for Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Jane detailed the changes in her attitude toward the sun, admitting she is currently 'terrified,' but is hopeful that will change.
'I'm trying to even just be in the sun for 20 minutes when the UV is low and stuff but I am sitting there picking my nails, leg shaking feeling like my skin is burning,' she admitted.
She added that her holiday lifestyle will have to change, having previously 'just sat there all day sizzling' in the sun. Pic: Jane Murray
Jane detailed how she was once very fond of sun beds, revealing her family would rent them to their house for a week before going on holidays.
She hasn't used them since her early-20s initially stopping due to learning that it can age your skin.
The Irish Cancer Society states that if you have ever used a sun your risk of melanoma increases by 20% while those using it before the age of 35 years old increase their chance by almost 60%.
The PT hit out at gyms around the country which were introducing sun beds in their premises, explaining that it sends a bad message to youngsters.
'It's absolutely disgusting,' she said, 'You're promoting people to go to the gym for their mental health; for their physical health and then you just put in sun beds in your gym. It's shocking.
'They're encouraging this, encouraging people to go in the sun beds after training.'
For questions or concerns about cancer, contact the Irish Cancer Society Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700 or email supportline@irishcancer.ie
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Extra.ie
Month-long wait for access to free HRT medication
Women are facing 'significant' monthlong waits to access free Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT), has learned. It comes just over a week after the Government rolled out its scheme to provide free-HRT. The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) revealed this weekend that 93 per cent of Ireland's near-2,000 pharmacies have signed up to the scheme. But the growing demand for HRT has exacerbated supply chain issues, resulting in significant delays for some women trying to access the medications, according to the IPU. Spokeswoman Kathy Maher told 'We have seen a huge growth in women who use HRT and the shortages have been a problem for about three years now.' Women are facing 'significant' monthlong waits to access free Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT), has learned. Pic: Shutterstock HRT, which is used to relieve symptoms of menopause, perimenopause and post-menopause, is now freely available under the State-backed scheme. Pharmacies who sign up to the scheme receive a dispensing fee of €5 per item. They are also given a €2,000 once-off grant for transition arrangements such as upgrading their ICT systems. The IPU previously argued the €5 dispensing fee was too low and called for it to be raised to at least €6.50 as pharmacists threatened to boycott the scheme. But now more than nine-in-ten pharmacies have signed up after the IPU endorsed a revised version of the scheme following talks with the Department of Health. Welcoming the introduction of the scheme and the HSE's Pharmacy Finder – a tool that allows patients to locate local participating pharmacies – Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said that, as of June 1, 'every woman in Ireland has free access to both essential HRT products and the dispensing fees, removing financial barriers and providing vital support during all stages of menopause'. More than 500,000 women aged between 45 and 64 are eligible for the scheme. The medication comes in various forms including tablets, patches, gels, creams and pessaries. The medication comes in various forms including tablets, patches, gels, creams and pessaries. Pic: Shutterstock However, the popularity of the scheme is already having an impact on limited supplies of the medication. The IPU said that due to shortages of certain HRT forms, pharmacists often have to refer women back to their GP to approve an alternative. Ms Maher said HRT patches are the most commonly prescribed form of HRT but face the worst shortages because they are 'more complex' to manufacture. Pharmacists are also frustrated as essential HRT orders often fail to arrive on time and with the necessary stock. Ms Maher, who runs the Haven Pharmacy in Duleek, Co. Meath, added: 'At the beginning of every month we will receive an allocation of the medicines that are in short supply. But I don't know what's coming in.' The popularity of the scheme is already having an impact on limited supplies of the medication. Pic: Shutterstock The IPU said the solution is difficult because 'it's a supply chain issue, there's little they [Government] can really do'. Ms Maher said the development of Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs), which would allow pharmacists to dispense alternative medications without needing to contact the patient's GP first, will help to address the delays. The Oireachtas is considering the Health Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2024, which would allow pharmacists to substitute medications in certain circumstances. The Department of Health said it is 'aware of the stress that shortages of medicines, including HRT products, can cause for patients and healthcare professionals'. In a statement to a spokesman said: 'Managing and mitigating these shortages is a priority, with several workstreams actively engaged across the Department and the broader health service. The Health Products Regulatory Authority has engaged with suppliers to understand the reasons for current reports and to examine opportunities for regulatory flexibilities to assist meeting current demand.' Reporting by Kate Lynch
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Call for publicly funded medication for breast cancer survivors who cannot take HRT
Breast cancer survivors who cannot take HRT should have some post-cancer medicines funded instead as they are 'invisible' in the menopause debate, one Cork survivor has urged. Some cancer treatments can push women of any age into medical menopause. Symptoms are usually harsher and longer lasting than for natural menopause, according to the HSE. Marguerite Herlihy was just 40 when she was diagnosed last year. She praised Cork University Hospital for her successful initial treatment. However she has oestrogen-positive cancer meaning it can be stimulated by hormones. This is why taking HRT is ruled out. 'You gear yourself up for the chemo and you gear yourself up for the radiotherapy and all of that, but there is no such thing as being finished then,' she said. 'The hormone-blockers I am now taking are part of the cancer treatment. In fact my oncologist told me the hormone-blockers are probably more important for me and more effective than the chemo.' The blockers prevent oestrogen from bringing back cancer for the mother of three. She said: But I went into menopause immediately like I fell off a cliff. 'So I've another 12 years of a lack of oestrogen (before my natural menopause starts).' She stressed: 'I'm so happy for other women to get free HRT lately, but while women are getting that I am paying the €80 a month to block my oestrogen under the Drugs Payment Scheme. 'So over the next 10 years that is going to mount up, it will be thousands I could invest in my kids. I do think with the HRT we're invisible in the debate about free HRT.' Ms Herlihy, a secondary-school teacher who lives in Aherla, said: 'I would love for the Government to offset the €80 a month for me like they are doing for the women getting HRT.' She feels health services generally are good, but said: 'Going forward I am paying to block my oestrogen when the government are paying to give women extra free oestrogen.' She was also 'devastated' to miss out on an international clinical trial for an advanced breast cancer drug. 'It was like a shining beacon for me,' she said. 'I missed out on it by a couple of weeks because cancer trials are too slow coming in Ireland. I missed out because of the red-tape, the legal work or the GDPR was taking too long to navigate. I was on my hormone blockers for too long by the time they were ready.' Marguerite Herlihy: 'I'm so happy for other women to get free HRT lately, but while women are getting that I am paying the €80 a month to block my oestrogen under the Drugs Payment Scheme.' Picture: Dan Linehan About 3,600 women in Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer annually. The Irish Cancer Society said figures are not available for how many are affected by medical menopause. 'This affects a large amount of our patients,' a spokeswoman said. 'I think that the unmet need speaks for itself, given that we have no statistics as to how many women this can affect.' The society has published a free booklet with University College Cork containing targeted advice on nutrition for women in Ms Herlihy's position. She described food as a minefield with many things to avoid, saying: 'This is probably the first book that specifies anything for us.'
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Pilot health checks for lung cancer being brought to high-risk people in Louth, Meath and Cavan
Participants for the Beaumont RCSI Irish Cancer Society lung health check are being chosen as part of a study targeting those aged between 55-74 years, who currently or previously smoked, as they are at higher risk than others of getting lung cancer. The study will involve participants from selected Centric Health GP practices in the North Dublin and northeast region. Invited participants will then attend a mobile lunch check unit in O'Raghalliagh's GAA Club in Drogheda. The participating GP practices in Drogheda include: Bryanstown Medical Centre; Fairgate Medical Practice; Hilltop Drogheda; and Northgate Surgery. In Dundalk, The Square Medical is included. Meanwhile, in Meath the Trim Medical, Headfort Family Practice is included and in Cavan, The Cottage Baileborough is included. Participants from Ashbourne Clinic, Meath will attend a mobile health unit in Fingallians GAA Club Swords. Participation invites will be sent through a letter of invitation to take part in the study, along with a leaflet with more details of the process. A team member will then be in touch to specify a date and time for a screening. Invites can also be turned down, with details provided on how to opt out. CEO of the Irish Cancer Society Averil Power said: 'This historic investment by the Irish Cancer Society marks a turning point for lung cancer in Ireland. Lung cancer kills more Irish people every year than any other cancer, mainly because it is diagnosed late when it is difficult to treat. 'We are confident this pilot programme will save lives by detecting cancer early. We hope that in time it will lead to a free national lung check programme for all Irish people at high risk of getting lung cancer.' Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Ireland, with six in every 10 lung cancer diagnoses detected at a late stage when it is harder to treat. The Lung Health Check is part of a €4.9m partnership between Irish Cancer Society and Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre, funded by the Irish Cancer Society, to drive improvements in lung cancer early detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
