LORRAINE Dunne from Rathkeale was cycling, walking, and leading a busy life with no idea that for two years, a cancerous tumour was growing inside her.
And if she hadn’t listened to her gut when she did, she might not be around today to appeal to people to watch for and act on signs of colon cancer.
“At 40 years of age I never thought this could happen,” she told the Limerick Post. “I was diagnosed with MS when I was 30 and I thought that was the one serious health issue I would have. Not so,” she said.
Lorraine is bluntly willing to share the gory details of her warning signs because she says that “speaking out could help someone else. It could save a life”.
The mother of two didn’t pay any attention after she noticed mucus in her stools when she went to the bathroom, dismissing it as a tummy upset.
But six months later, there were signs she couldn’t ignore so easily. “I went to the bathroom one day and there was blood – lots of blood. I got a terrible fright.”
Lorraine went straight to her GP, who sent her for a colonoscopy and immediately, she was launched on a roller coaster after they discovered a tumour.
“They started me straightaway on radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and then Covid struck. I nearly had a breakdown. Covid was being treated so seriously that I thought they would never be able to continue with my treatment, but they did and every single visit, the nurses gave me such support and confidence. They told me not to worry – they would gown up and get on with it.”
Lorraine was treated at the Mid-Western Radiation Oncology Centre on the grounds of the University Hospital Limerick, a facility built as a collaboration between the Mid Western Hospital Development Trust and the Mater Private Network.
Lorraine said being able to get treatment 25 minutes from home was vital. “I thought I would have to go to Dublin or Cork and I thought I would be on the floor after treatment, but I didn’t and I wasn’t. I was able to drive myself there and back, and with having treatment every day, that made a huge difference,” she said.
After the therapies and keyhole surgery to remove the tumour, Lorraine began on the road to recovery.
The fear of the the experience will never be forgotten, but nor will the kindness and professionalism of the people who took care of her.
“Being able to have keyhole surgery really helped me recover faster and the staff were just amazing. I was in hospital after surgery during Covid but the nurses would come in and sit and chat – they knew we couldn’t have visitors and that was very hard. They’re so brave and they helped me so much.”
Last week, Lorraine spent a day raising funds for Daffodil Day. She gets involved with raising money for cancer support and research regularly.
“What I would like to get across is to tell people to get to know the signs of colon cancer. It’s not talked about enough but I would say, don’t ignore symptoms. I felt so well and they may be the only clue that something is seriously wrong,” she concluded.
