Postman Kit can’t wait for ice-olated job in Antarctic
Mum Trina, 35, proud of her scars as she opens up on cancer battle ordeal
Kit Adams, 26 AN Irishman is to take charge of the UK’S most southerly post office – where he’ll get to keep 2,000 penguins company.
Port Lockroy is a windswept and snow-clad island the size of a football pitch off an Antarctic peninsula which stretches towards South America.
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust chose Kit Adams and other team members to work in sub-zero temperatures, with no mains electricity or running water.
The post office handles around 80,000 postcards a year and is busy with tourists from cruise ships which stop there.
Mr Adams, 26, from Newcastle, Co Down, said: “Polar places are something which I am passionate about.
“It is such a unique environment to live and spend such a prolonged period of time in.
“Very few people get to go and even less get to spend such a significant period of time being part of the environment and being able to impart snippets of knowledge.”
The island was originally set up in a secret British military operation and later converted into a museum and post office.
The job will involve working at the shop and museum, monitoring the penguins and lecturing on the cruise ships. A BRAVE mum has opened up on her cancer battle, revealing she will never get breast reconstruction surgery as she proudly bares her mastectomy scars.
Trina Cleary was diagnosed with the disease in August last year after discovering a lump in March.
The 35-year-old ignored it at first but after seeing her GP and following a mammogram after an eight-week wait, she was told she had cancer.
Trina, from Wexford, told the Irish Mirror: “My consultant was slow to act as I was so young, I had no family history.
“I was a bit annoyed as it was quite aggressive and by the time they did anything about it my lump had grown to 12 centimetres.
“You think breast cancer is an old person’s disease but it’s getting younger.
“My own hormones were feeding my cancer, I discovered this after they did a biopsy and it had spread to my lymph nodes.
“The first thing I thought of was, ‘Am I going to lose my hair?’
“You think you’ll become bald and frail and you think you’re going to die.”
The inspiring financial executive revealed her journey to recovery was marred with negative self-talk.
She said: “Chemo, surgery and radiotherapy is what I ended up having, I started chemo on the November 28 last year and I had eight gruelling rounds.
“It was so tough, there were days I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up because I was in so much pain.
“Some days were really dark but I just kept saying to myself, ‘These feelings will pass, tomorrow is a brand new day and it’s going to get better’.”
A fortnight after she underwent a lumpectomy, Trina was told it was not successful and if she opted for a mastectomy she would be guaranteed the all-clear. With her son
Now proud of her scars she said: “I was adamant that I didn’t want reconstruction,
WEXFORD YESTERDAY
from the minute I got diagnosed, always said, ‘I am what I am’.
“I don’t have a left breast now, nor will I ever.
“Your body can reject the implant, you can get infections, if I was to ever get a recurrence in that side, the implant would hide it.
“I’m flat now so if any new lumps were to come along I’d visually be able to see it. My motto is if in doubt check it out and I’ve documented everything on my Instagram – Tr_cleary.”
More than 3,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, that’s eight per day.
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Irish Cancer Society is asking the public to hold a Cups Against Breast Cancer coffee morning to support the fight against the killer disease.
■ Visit www.cancer.ie/cupsagainstcancer for more information.
IThere were days I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up TRINA CLEARY