Reaching out to all...
FIONA MAGENNIS SPEAKS TO BREAST CANCER IRELAND OUTREACH NURSE ADRIENNE MCCLEERY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY DETECTION AND RAISING AWARENESS AMONGST YOUNG WOMEN
OCTOBER is breast cancer awareness month and Outreach Nurse Adrienne Mc C l e e r y works across the north east, raising awareness on breast cancer and early detection. Adrienne, from Beaulieu in Drogheda, works throughout north Leinster giving talks in schools, workplaces and pharmacies explaining the signs to look out for to recognise breast cancer and the difference carrying out regular monthly checks can make.
‘Early detection is key to survival,’ says Adrienne. ‘Some 2800 women in Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and our survival rates are only at 84%. This sounds good but in other countries in Europe and the UK that rate is in the 90s and the earlier it is detected the better. Awareness saves lives.’
One in nine women will get breast cancer in their lifetime and last year 680 women in the country lost their lives to the disease.
Statistics also show that the rate of breast cancer in women aged between 20 and 40 has risen in recent years from 5% to 15%.
‘It is very worrying and highlights why it is so important for young women to check themselves regularly,’ says Adrienne. ‘Lifestyle would be the biggest reason behind the rise. Smoking, high consumption of alcohol and general lifestyle issues are all factors in this.
‘From my experience, girls in the workplace in their 20s and 30s, they don’t think they’ll get breast cancer, they think it’s something that there Mum or their Granny or their Mum’s friend will get. That’s why it’s so important to get the awareness out there.’
Adrienne previously worked in occupational health but when the role of Outreach Nurse came up just over a year ago she jumped at the chance to help educate women on the signs and symtoms to look out for when identifying breast cancer.
As her Mum and her sister have both had breast cancer, and with two young daughters of her own, the subject is one that is extremely relevant to AdrienneAdrienne.
‘It was something I was quite passionate about and something I thought I would really like to do,’ she explains. ‘I have a family history of breast cancer; all are now doing well thank god but it was something that was so relevant to me. I knew I’d really enjoy it, especially the schools programme which is a big part of my job.’
While the job is very varied, the three main areas Adrienne focuses on are a Transition Year programme which Adrienne developed herself and is delivered in local schools throughout the region, Women in the Workplace presentations and Pharmacy events.
‘I’m based at the College of Surgeons but I travel all over the north east and Leinster region, if we have requests from schools or businesses through the website asking us to come and visit them then we’ll always honour it.
‘I have a bust mannequin which I bring with me, it has the simulated bumps in it that represent what breast cancer would feel like so it allows the people I’m giving a talk to be able to see and feel firsthand what they are looking for when carrying out a breast examination and that’s a very important thing.’
Adrienne said there are eight signs and symtoms to look out for in breast cancer, including everything from dimpled skin to a sunken nipple, and the manequin has all of them so that girls and women can physically see what they look like.
Breast Cancer Ireland has also developed an app which sends a reminder every month to be breast aware.
‘Personally I think this ithe way forward, the app is workings,’ says Adrienne. ‘We all know we should be doing it but this is just that little push to remind people on a regular basis and make it become a habit.
‘ This is especially important for the Transition year girls, they are 15-16 and raising awareness now means they go into their 20s being breast aware. We teach them that the week after your period is the best time to self breast check. Hopefully going forward it will save lives, that’s the mission.’
Adrienne says one of the biggest barriers to earlier detection is fear, with many women putting off checking themselves or visiting their doctors when they have an inkling something is wrong because they are afraid of what it will reveal.
‘Fear is a major thing, it really is. That’s one of the reasons why the app is so important, if you download it and use it every month then you know it’s only been a month since your last exam. The fear is only when you don’t do it. Sometimes the attitude is: ‘If I don’t look I won’t find and if I do look I might find and it’s really about changing the mentality on that. Early detection is survival. That is the most important thing.’
Breast Cancer Ireland has three main goals, says Adrienne: education, awareness and research.
‘A big part of Breast Cancer Ireland is research. Unless you are researching you are not going forward and huge strides have been made in treatment in recent years.’