It’s bittersweet as cancer patient hits milestone
Jillian O’Connor is celebrating a milestone that coincides with a new challenge in her battle with terminal cancer.
Last week marked two years since she was first diagnosed, and it ushered in a chapter of her life she says doctors were skeptical she’d live to see. At the same time, that milestone came packaged with news that the cancer has reached her brain.
“We found out about three weeks ago that the cancer has spread to my brain, so that was a little bit of a setback,” said O’Connor in a contrastingly upbeat tone.
O’Connor has already undergone radiation treatment and said an MRI scan scheduled for Sept. 1 will tell her if it has been successful. “We’re really hopeful that the radiation worked and that it got rid of the cancer.”
The 33-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2014 while pregnant with her third child. Thanks to what she calls “a special chemotherapy cocktail,” she was able to undergo treatment while keeping her baby safe.
By the time her son Declan was born in February 2015, O’Connor discovered that the cancer had metastasized to her bones and liver.
In spite of the odds — and doctors’ predictions — she’s lived past the two-year threshold, allowing her to see her son turn 18 months old. “The fact that Declan was born and that he was healthy ... that’s probably the best part about the time that has past,” O’Connor says.
Not forgetting the rest, she adds that the milestone has allowed her to see her other son, Landon, reach the age of three, and she will get to see her daughter, Myla, turn five and start school in September.
“They’re the main part of everything and why I keep on going every single day,” O’Connor says.
There’s also some good news in the fact her fortnightly chemotherapy at Queensway Carleton Hospital has caused the cancer in her bones and liver to stay at bay.
O’Connor said she treats the passing of every day like a milestone in itself. “I wake up the next day and I think, ‘Yep, I want more — I want tomorrow now, too, and I want the next day and the next day.’ ”
O’Connor says she also cherishes the mini-milestones that her children celebrate in their lives, referencing Declan’s birthday next February. “I think I’m always setting little goals to get to so I’m hoping that the health goals set by Dr. Clemons (her oncologist) are going to be in line with mine.”
The story of the Carleton Place resident has reached many people, manifesting in a very successful online crowdsourcing campaign, which was started by a group of her former nurse colleagues. The campaign has surpassed $100,000.
O’Connor and her family are also being supported through a play being held to raise money for an education fund for her children. The Indie Women Production will be performing Bingo Ladies at Studio Theatre Perth this weekend and next weekend. More information can be found on the theatre’s Facebook page.