Kathleen’s journey to a healthier self
A Carraig na bhFear local and Youghal native, RTÉ’s Operation Transformation leader Kathleen Hurley Mullins, is a member of several communities, with Watergrasshill being her nearest village/ town, whereas her parish is Upper Glanmire.
Kathleen spoke with TheAvondhu on Wednesday morning, ahead of a walk with community members in Carraig na bhFear, stating that the local support she has received has been ‘fantastic’.
“I’ve had great support. I’m a native of Youghal and there was a walk held there recently. I was out for that one because I had tested positive for Covid but it was a great success. I’ve had great support from all the local communities. They’ve all been fantastic,” Kathleen said.
Since starting Operation Transformation, Kathleen said her main support has been her family and that her family was also her main reason for applying for the show.
“Everyone’s main reason for joining the show is to become healthier. Mine was because I lost my sister to undiagnosed ovarian cancer. That pushed me to do something more about my health,” Kathleen said.
Susan, Kathleen’s eldest sister, passed away due to undiagnosed ovarian cancer in late 2020 and soon after, Kathleen and her sisters were advised to get checked. Doctors found that Kathleen had a benign tumour and she underwent surgery to remove her ovaries, sending her into early menopause at just 49 years of age.
According to Kathleen, as well as her journey to a healthier self, she is also hoping to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and what women go through during menopause.
“My sister was undiagnosed, and a big problem with ovarian cancer is knowing the signs. Not everybody knows they have it. My sister had no symptoms and died just ten days after.
“If you don’t feel well, go to your GP and if the GP doesn’t listen, go to another one. My best advice is to keep an eye on your health and if you don’t feel well for any reason, get checked out,” Kathleen added.
A dermoid cyst was found on Kathleen’s ovaries and according to the OT leader, she believed that the aches and pains she was experiencing were just down to ageing.
“It’s an awful pity that it caused my sister’s death for me to get checked,” she reflected. REALISTIC CHANGES
Operation Transformation is now well underway for the Youghal native and her fellow leaders. The programme is roughly halfway through this series and Kathleen said she has noticed a number of changes since starting the journey.
“It’s been great, there’s a whole team of experts that I can call up at any stage, day or night. Since I started, the main change I’ve noticed is that because I’m exercising a lot more, I have a lot more energy. A healthy body is a healthy mind. I’ve really been much more uplifted,” she said.
When talking with TheAvondhu, Kathleen had just returned from a morning walk and was getting ready for a day’s work, before returning home to do some ‘ resistance work’ in the evening. This was to be followed by a walk locally in Carraig na bhFear.
“I usually do my walk in the mornings and the resistance in the evening, but like everyone, my days are a bit erratic at the moment and nothing is set in stone,” she said.
Realistic changes are emphasised, as Kathleen notes she has been taking on what she can and hopes to keep the changes in place going forward.
“Everything at the minute is realistic changes. I can see myself easily continuing after the show and I have my own goals in mind too,” she added.
‘JUST GO FOR IT’
Speaking about issues raised on Operation Transformation, Kathleen said she hopes that viewers may relate to these and feel more open to speaking about such issues.
“I often wonder do people relate to issues on the show. I hope that they would and see that these things aren’t taboo and can be spoken about,” she said.
“Women during menopause suffer an awful lot. It’s very hard for people of my age to get the initiative to make changes, with the menopause and the brain fog you get. When you don’t feel good, you don’t put a value on yourself as much. You have to think of yourself as a higher value and just go for it,” Kathleen said.