You will never forget Amie Ó Bric on May 31, 2016.
That was the day she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. She says the news ruined her. His life “completely collapsed.”
The fifth anniversary of that date happened last Monday and Amy is still with us. In fact, she celebrated the date by climbing Carrauntoohil with her husband Cormac.
Today, every day is a day to celebrate Amy and her family, although, for understandable reasons, she did not see things that way at the time of her diagnosis in 2016.
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“I was a young mother at the time with two young children and I was devastated,” recalls Amy. “My life has completely changed. I had a girl who started school in September and she said to me ‘I’m going to make it, I’m going to be there for her’, and I did. here today to tell my story and share it with all of you. “
Amy’s voice cracks as she remembers that moment in 2016.
She tells her story now because today is National Cancer Survivor Day, the day cancer survival is celebrated, and five years after the date of her diagnosis, Amy is a survivor.
She is part of a growing club.
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The HSE system describes a cancer survivor as someone who lives “with cancer and beyond.” She notes that the five-year survival rates for people with some of the most common forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate cancer, exceed 80%, and she says that about 4% of the population is now a cancer survivor.
According to HSE projections, the number of cancer survivors in Ireland will double over the next 25 years, mainly due to improvements in early detection, new developments and more effective treatments.
There are approximately 200,000 cancer survivors in Ireland, according to the Irish National Cancer Registry. In fact, if all cancer survivors lived in one county, the population would be as large as Co Kildare, Meath, Cork City, or Co Limerick.
Cancer Research Breakthrough is an Irish medical research charity focused on cancer.
Today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin asks for the name of Ireland’s 33rd county: the county of the survivors. It is a symbolic gesture that helps to highlight a small positive news.
However, there is also a serious point. While the number of cancer survivors is approaching 200,000 people, there are still 45,000 people diagnosed with cancer in Ireland each year, while 9,000 people die from the disease.
The trend is positive, survival rates are improving all the time, but many people still die from cancer.
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Breakthrough believes that the key to achieving better survival rates is through increased investment in cancer research by the government and more voluntary donations from the public.
The call from the Higher Cancer Research Center is to bring out more survivors, making District 33 in Ireland the fastest growing in the country.
Michael Healy of Bantry in Co Cork, like Amy Brick, will be a resident of this iconic 33 county.
In 2011, Michael was diagnosed with a rare cancer called peritoneal pseudomyxoma. It is also known as PMP or appendicitis.
Michael was referred to the UK because there was no treatment for PMP in Ireland. He underwent a 13-hour operation, during which his colon, spleen, appendix, and gallbladder were removed. He spent the next five days in intensive care and 17 days without eating.
Recovery was a slow process and fatigue was a frequent visitor.
“You really appreciate the little things in life, like what we have here today, the singing of the birds and the sun, your family and how important they are to you too.”
“Slowly but surely, I increased my walking percentage each day,” Michael recalls of his recovery. “Over time, in my case, it took maybe 12 months to get back to an almost normal situation, and I think I’m one of the lucky ones, with a positive story.”
Michael a decade after his diagnosis. He says he can eat and drink in moderation whatever he wants. He walks and runs to keep fit and is grateful for what he has.
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“I would say, ‘You get a second chance at life and when you have a second chance at life at fifty, you have to grab it with both hands,’” says Michael.
“You really appreciate the little things in life, like we have them here today, the singing of the birds and the sunlight, your family and how important they are to you too.”
Amie Ó Bric decided early in her treatment in 2016 that she would be there to raise her two children, Chloe, who is now nine, and Connor, six, with her husband Cormac.
“I decided to stay as positive as possible for the sake of my family,” he says. “I’ve had good and bad days and have been thinking positively every day.”
Amy used the power of positive thinking again last weekend, when she and Cormack boarded Carrauntoohil, raising € 2,000 for a breakthrough in cancer research in the process.
“I am here today to give people hope, send my positivity and tell people to keep fighting, never give up, and we will make more survivors,” he said.
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