Brave Niamh’s blog on her cancer battle
A 19-year-old Sligo woman who was diagnosed with cancer has been documenting her fight against the disease on a blog.
Niamh Flanagan from Killaraght, Boyle, was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on her left pelvis bone.
Last July the brave teenager began writing about the shocking experience of a cancer diagnosis and outlined the physical and mental challenges she faced on a daily basis.
The heart wrenching blog gives an honest account of her suffering and offers a true insight into her world, from the moment she felt unwell to the day the diagnosis was given. It also documents her cancer treatment journey from Sligo General Hospital to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham in the UK.
Niamh not only raises awareness about her type of bone cancer but also displays courage and hope to others who may be facing a similar health crisis.
Her blog can be found at niamhsjourneythere.wordpress.com.
Here she describes how even a simple car journey from Sligo to Galway for a bone scan proved so painful and difficult. Likewise the flights to Birmingham were extremely challenging for Niamh to endure as her blog outlines, but through it all she shows grit, courage and the sheer determination not to let her illness get the better of her.
The results of her biopsy in Birmingham showed that Niamh had Osteosarcoma on her left pelvis. An immediate treatment plan was devised and put into place.
Niamh is also using other forms of social media to share her story. Her facebook page ‘Niamh’s Journey There’ also gives an account of her battle with cancer. At the moment she is in the Mater University Hospital in Dublin where she has just completed the first of six cycles of chemotherapy.
She is facing into another 12 weeks of hospital stays for the duration of the chemo treatment. Friends and Family of Niamh have just et up a committee to help the family through these tough times. They aim to run several fundraising events including a launch at The Saddlers Inn, Kingsland Boyle this Friday 8th of September. A spokeswoman said: “Music will be provided by John Dolan. There will be a raffle on the night along with an auction of two tickets for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers who are playing the 3 Arena in September. These tickets were bought by Niamh as a present for her boyfriend Oisin. Oisin wants these tickets to go to good use as they will not be able to attend the concert due to Niamh’s ongoing treatments.”
A ‘spinathon’ - cycling from Boyle to Birmingham - will also take place in Londis, Boyle this weekend and a Go Fund Me page has been set up at www.gofundme. com/niamhs-journey-there .