CALL FOR IRELAND TO FACE UP TO CANCER
A simple selfie can help raise money for vital research and resources
IT’S a simple act that’s a daily occurrence for many but three cancer charities have joined forces for a campaign that means taking a selfie can help save lives. The Face Up To Cancer appeal sees Breast Cancer Ireland, Breakthrough Cancer Research and the Marie Keating Foundation, banding together for the first time ahead of World Cancer Day which falls this Sunday February 4.
The campaign hopes to raise significant funds for cancer research and support services across Ireland, whilst also highlighting what can be a hugely isolating experience for those diagnosed. In Ireland almost 42,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year, which means that one person is diagnosed with cancer every 15 minutes.
Face Up To Cancer wants thousands of people to upload their selfies and make a donation a faceuptocancer.ie, in support of cancer research and support services.
Each individual image will ultimately form part of a unique facial mosaic, using the thousands of selfies submitted, to form a series of eight portraits in total, showing the faces of some of those that have been affected by cancer, and some of the experts working tirelessly to change the future of cancer care and treatments.
The money raised will be used to make a significant impact on the lives of the one in two people living in Ireland who will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime as funds will be channelled into three areas - investment in breast metastatic disease research, funding research to develop better ways to detect and treat lung, pancreatic, ovarian, oesophageal, and other hard-to-treat cancers and support services for those who are living with cancer and their families.
Karen Kruger’s life changed dramatically when she felt a lump in her left breast in December 2021, just as she was planning her youngest son Axl’s first birthday.
Karen, from Ashford in Co Wicklow, had been busy training for a half marathon so the diagnosis of stage three breast cancer came as a big shock.
‘I found the waiting between scans and results to be excruciatingly difficult. From the day I was diagnosed in February to when I had my mastectomy, it was the longest eight weeks of my life. Every minute felt like a day. I couldn’t focus on anything else,’ she says.
‘I struggled to sleep at night. I would lie awake for hours whilst everyone else slept. I remember one night, when I couldn’t sleep I went to each of my children’s bedrooms and stood watching them and the tears rolled down my face. It was the loneliest time for me. Somehow, I got through it. Family and friends were my life line. I would have been lost without them.’
As someone who works as a leadership coach in the corporate world Karen applied her skills to herself.
‘As I waited for my operation date to come, I made a conscious decision to deal with the things that were in my control. I focused on the things that I could change. I read a lot, meditated, used a journal, used positive words and reassurances and started more practices that helped me cope better.’
SHE had to have both chemotherapy and radiotherapy and her family, led by husband Philip, were on hand to help on her worst days.
‘Caolfhionn is 12 now, Lochlann is 10 and Axl is three. It was really tough for them — my daughter was more in tune with what was going on. The Christmas before I was diagnosed my brother weirdly had given my daughter a book for Christmas which was about a girl whose mother had breast cancer and so when I was diagnosed she knew a bit more.
‘The two oldest both managed very well and were both very optimistic. They struggled with not being able to have playdates or have me to come and watch them in sports but my family helped and they took them when I was really sick on my bad days so they didn’t see that side of things.
We talked about it a lot and I have a very good supportive loving family who were around all the time.’ For Karen, it was when treatment finished and she was left on her own that she found things difficult. ‘I have always worked in leadership development which is the corporate side of things coaching managers and so on. But when I came to the end of my treatment I was confused about the future and what I needed to do. It was very hard to go back to the way you were living before. ow much exercise should I do? hat foods should I eat? What vitamins should I take? It was really very overwhelming. Your life has completely changed. Since the end of my treatment, I have built my cancer coaching practice. As a qualified executive and leadership coach, I have begun to help people manage their cancer diagnosis and life after cancer.
‘I provide focused coaching to support them to rebuild their lives, to take back control.’
Karen recently had her ovaries removed as a precautionary surgery and is a busy mum of three kids. Her recent surgery and treatment for breast cancer means she is going through an early menopause which she says is difficult but not insurmountable.
‘What I needed was to get things back in order and try to figure out what it is that I needed to do to gain my own sense of control. I had lots of personal challenges that I had to overcome. The early menopause was a bit of a kick in the teeth after the breast cancer treatment — there are over 40 symptoms of that but I am in a rhythm now.
‘After a cancer diagnosis everything has changed - you try to pretend that it hasn’t and that’s what I did for a while after finishing my treatment but I needed to address things and have a bit of structure in my life and have time to get things back in order. And develop a new way of living because really that’s what it is. And I am feeling more positive now.’
Presenter Miriam O’Callaghan is a proud ambassador for the campaign, having lost a sister aged just 33 to the disease, as is former Dragon Bobby Kerr of Newstalk and RTÉ’s Evelyn O’Rourke, both of whom are survivors of cancer.
Lisa McGrath is one of the many in Ireland who is living with a terminal diagnosis after being diagnosed with breast cancer a few months before her 40th birthday.
Lisa lives in Kilkee, Co Clare, with her two children Harry, eight and Katie, seven and husband Feargal. When she was diagnosed in 2019 she had noticed a tiny disfigurement on one nipple.
‘I was on my journey with treatment and I have four sisters – I am the second eldest. After my diagnosis my sisters became more alert to lumps and bumps and the following year my eldest sister found a lump and was diagnosed with breast cancer.
‘I have oestrogen positive breast cancer, we have had genetic testing done and there is no genetic link to the reason that both of us got it. I got my diagnosis when I was 39 just before my 40th birthday. I noticed a disfigurement on my nipple. I was keeping an eye on it and then I went to the GP who did an examination and she actually found a lump in the surgery.’
AT that stage there was hope that Lisa would fully recover and she had a lumpectomy. But it was while she was waiting for her chemotherapy that she was told the cancer had spread and was incurable.
‘Initially like anyone the first question I asked the doctor was ‘how long do I have left?’,’ Lisa says. ‘His answer was: “It depends on how well your body takes to the treatment.” So for me those words alone made me decide, right, I am going to be positive about this and I know I have to be positive as I think that is key.’
The plan was fulvestrant and decapeptyl injections along with riboociclib tablets at home.
‘I gathered information and spoke with my sister, who is a palliative care nurse and found out this treatment has very promising results and many patients survived for years keeping the cancer stable. I had two small children that were counting on me and it was just a case of keep going. I am four years down the road now and everything is going well. My last scans were stable so for me that’s a good thing and I don’t let the diagnosis dictate my life.’
Lisa’s advice to others who have a worrying lump or bump is to get it checked out.
‘And especially for women, keep checking and it is most important to be observant and vigilant about any changes.’
Aisling Hurley, CEO of Breast Cancer Ireland says the people of Ireland can become part of the fight against cancer by uploading a selfie.
‘Long-term survival from cancer has greatly increased, and overall, Ireland is making good progress in terms of survival improvements for all cancers, but we still need to continue our investment in order to change the landscape positively for those diagnosed and transform this illness into a treatable illness for all of those impacted,’ she says.
Orla Dolan, CEO of Breakthrough Cancer Research says there are new discoveries and new ideas being developed every day to detect and treat cancer and save thousands of lives in Ireland that are simply awaiting funding. ‘
We’re asking the people of Ireland to be part of the future, to get involved in the Face Up to Cancer campaign, so we can ultimately help bring those future treatments to fruition,’ says Orla.
Liz Yeates, CEO of the Marie Keating Foundation, says the campaign will help support people who have had a cancer diagnosis and their families who are going through tough times.
‘By standing together, and through our collective efforts, we not only raise funds but we also raise hope. Together, we can make a difference and redefine the future of cancer care. Let’s face up to cancer together, because united, we are stronger than this disease,’ she says.
Taking part in the new campaign is simple — go to faceuptocancer.ie, upload your selfie, then choose your donation amount. Then share your selfie across your social channels to show your support using #FaceUpToCancer and #DonateASelfieSaveLives. For those wishing to donate directly, you can do so on the website. For anyone who is recently diagnosed, Karen Kruger says the campaign is even more meaningful.
‘Beyond raising money for research to progress new treatments at a faster pace, Face Up To Cancer is an easy way to raise money with the selfie.
‘But that term Face Up To Cancer is important for those with diagnosis - try and face up to the diagnosis and deal with what is in front of you,’ is Karen’s advice. ‘Surround yourself with people you love, talk about it, cry if you want, get a journal and write down your feelings and your questions. And find a reliable source of information like the Breast Cancer Ireland and Marie Keating Foundation websites — try and stay away from Google.
‘Have your journal, make your notes and be kind to yourself.’
Both Karen and Lisa are Ambassadors for the Face Up To Cancer campaign which has launched ahead of World Cancer Day on Sunday. This is a unique digital campaign funding critical cancer research and support services nationally. Upload your selfie and make a donation at faceuptocancer.ie with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Ireland, the Marie Keating Foundation and Breakthrough Cancer Research.