"There’s always a way forward" - Offaly woman recalls her breast cancer journey
Offaly woman Vanessa Mooney has recalled her personal breast cancer journey as she prepares for the 2025 Very Pink Run next month.
Vanessa is a patient supporter of this year's family-focused event which will see 5km and 10km runs taking place in Dublin, Cork and Kilkenny from September 6-14 inclusive, all in support of ground breaking breast cancer research and nationwide awareness and education programmes.
In advance of the September event, Vanessa has spoken of how her life was "turned upside down when she heard the words, 'it's breast cancer'."
Diagnosed in 2019, Vanessa had to endure her chemotherapy during COVID-19 and at the age of 40 she said "everything changed in an instant".
Vanessa's sister Veronica had been diagnosed with cancer two months previously and she felt that she was living "a bad dream".
"Veronica and I called ourselves the 'chemo sisters' leaning on each other for support," Vanessa said.
Losing her hair was "one of the hardest things" Vanessa experienced during her cancer treatment.
"I remember waking up one morning to find my pillow covered in hair. I ignored it for as long as I could, but soon it was falling out in clumps. My sister Anne, who’s a barber, shaved my head for me. I’ll never forget the sound of the clippers and watching my hair fall to the floor. I felt stripped bare, exposed, and I just wanted to run and hide, but there was nowhere to go. Cancer has a way of forcing you to face everything head-on, whether you’re ready or not," Vanessa added.
Due to the presence of COVID-19 Vanessa had to attend chemotherapy sessions alone walking into the hospital "scared and trying to be brave, wishing someone was there to hold my hand".
"Cancer strips you down to nothing. The surgeries, the endless chemo, the radiation, the side effects, it takes so much from you. I had to start over and rebuild myself from the ground up. Some days, it felt like too much, but I just kept going. I had to," Vanessa said.
Vanessa acknowledged that her cancer experience has "changed her forever", but has found strength from within to find "a way forward".
In the midst of her treatment Vanessa found solace in the creation of a free app designed to support fellow cancer patients.
"Through my cancer journey, I wished for a safe space to connect with others who truly understood what I was going through. With that in mind I created Someone Like Me, a free app designed to support cancer patients, survivors, and their loved ones.
"It’s a place where people can share their stories, find resources, and connect with others who have walked a similar path. My hope is that Someone Like Me will make the journey a little less lonely and offer the kind of support I so desperately needed during my own battle," Vanessa concluded.
Open to all ages and abilities, registrations for the 2025 Very Pink Run in Dublin, Cork and Kilkenny is now open on www.verypinkrun.ie with the global movement aiming to build upon the €7.3 million in breast cancer research funds raised to date.