Cancer fight dad would’ve died in week if he had not gone to hospital Family’s joy as Eoin in remission
Eoin in hospital best news ever would be an understatement, I would rather be told that 10 times over than even win the Lotto.”
Eoin was only 31 when he was diagnosed following a hospital visit after he started getting pains in his chest.
Doctors drained three-and-a-half litres of fluid from his chest and found a tumour between his lungs and heart.
After his first round of chemo didn’t work, Eoin found a lump on his neck.
He was started on a higher dose of chemo which was, in his wife Karen’s opinion, the hardest one on him.
She explained: “Eoin got the ‘moonface’, he got the cancer look. Darkness under the skin of his eyes and that.”
The pair hoped this treatment was working but were disappointed again when doctors told them it hadn’t.
Two years later in 2017, when Karen was pregnant with Emelie, Eoin still wasn’t responding to treatments. He was due to go into hospital after his daughter was born for a planned stem cell transplant which was later cancelled.
The pair fought to get Eoin immunotherapy, which slowed down but didn’t cure his cancer.
In 2019, he was told he could get an allogeneic stem cell transplant from a
Karen, Eoin & children donor. Karen explained: “So on the 6th of November, which we now class as Eoin’s ‘re-birthday’, he was given the transplant and he became so, so bad.
“Eoin was at the stage where he wanted to give up. He didn’t want to live anymore, he didn’t want to go through it anymore.”
Results of a scan in February had alarming results which left the two terrified the cancer had spread. Thankfully, it was only an infection.
Eoin was hospitalised for six weeks and due to the coronavirus, wasn’t allowed outside or to have visitors.
In May, the pair were given the news his transplant worked.
Karen said: “There’s been a lot of ups and a lot of downs but we’re finally out the other side, so hopefully we can look forward to many, many years cancer-free.”
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