The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
‘I’m one of the lucky ones’
RATHMORE GIRL KATIE CREMIN WILL TAKE TO THE CATWALK TODAY, WEDNESDAY, FOR THE KERRY HOSPICE ‘MODELS IN RECOVERY’ FASHION SHOW. SHE TELLS SINEAD KELLEHER ABOUT HER BRAVE CANCER BATTLE.
ONE day you are looking forward to your future and a teaching career. Days later you are in an isolation ward in Cork University Hospital fighting for your life. This is what happened to Katie Cremin when she was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2015. “I was feeling unwell; I was tired and I had chest infections, but I put it down to the stress of my final exams. I was studying Maths and Geography at NUI Galway, and I was doing my dissertation and my exams, so I didn’t do anything about it,” explains Katie.
When she returned home to Rathmore she booked an appointment with her GP, never thinking that her whole life was about to change. Days later, following her blood results, she was told to pack a bag and go straight to CUH. It was at this point she knew it was something really serious.
“On the way to Cork I was googling what the Doctor had said about red blood cells, and leukaemia was coming up. It turned out to be so,” she said.
Katie was immediately put in an insolation ward and she remained there for nine months – only leaving for Christmas day and the odd weekend in between as she battled leukaemia. Her immunity was so low that even her own stomach bacteria could give her an infection. Going out anywhere could have made her ill.
Thankfully her Mom and Dad, Janet and Brendan, visited almost daily, and her boyfriend, Conor Kelly from Glenbeigh, visited at the weekend. In between she watched cookery shows.
“It was tough going. There were bad days but I knew I would be coming out, so you have to grin and bear it.”
From the very beginning of her diagnosis, she vowed to fight the disease and stay positive about the future.
“I knew from the beginning I was going to get better. You have to believe you can get better. There is no point dropping the head and being down, it won’t help anyone. If people see you coping they will cope too,” says Katie.
After nine months in isolation, during which she even celebrated her 21st birthday, she came home in February 2016. She continued her maintenance chemotherapy, and in December 2017 she got the good news that she was in remission. Then she got to celebrate Christmas and her missed 21st.
Almost a year later and Katie is looking forward to the future – a brand new future. Being ill changed Katie views on life, and this year she returned to college to train as a healthcare assistant having seen for herself the help they gave her in the hospital.
“I lost three years, so I lost interest in Maths. I decided to go down the healthcare route after what happened to me. I saw what these people did for me in one day. They have the ability to change your mood.
“My view is now to pursue something you enjoy. Teaching was on my mind, but now I have found my calling. Everything does happen for a reason. There is always something positive in everything.”
Katie is one of 26 models taking to the catwalk today, Wednesday, September 19, for the Kerry Hospice Foundation’s annual ‘Models in Recovery’ fashion show at the INEC.
“I’m one of the ones in remission, there are people who will need the Kerry Hospice,” she said.
“I want to give back for those who won’t be able to walk down the catwalk.”
Katie was convinced to take part by her neighbour and friend, Padraig Cronin, who coincidentally was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma just weeks before Katie got her diagnosis. The parish of Rathmore rallied around them both. Katie is eternally grateful for that support and that of her family and friends during the turbulent years.