Hi, I’m Maeve, from Ireland. I was just diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. In the next 2 years, I hope to go back to work, go abroad and appreciate life.

I felt a lump at the top of my breast. I went to my GP and he sent me to another hospital.

After my diagnosis, I worked on eating healthier most days a week, exercising more than I used to, and cutting out alcohol completely, from 3 drinks a week to none.

According to my doctor’s recommendation and my own research, I did a lumpectomy, lymphadenectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and targeted therapy. Still, I sought more opinions, and heard about more options before making my final decision.

Deciding on my treatment made me a bit more happy, relieved and motivated.

In terms of side effects, the ones that affected me the most were: diarrhea, fatigue and hair loss.

To manage them, I relied on medication prescribed by my doctor.

I did face some financial difficulties during treatment, as I needed to pay for petrol to get to the hospital, around 50km away, as well as extra medication not covered by my drug payment scheme.

I tried my best to commit to eating better, upping my exercise at least 50% more than I used to, as well as avoiding drinking.

With my family, I plan to have more holidays, outings, meals out, just to enjoy life more. For myself, I want to go back to work, go abroad, and appreciate life. My biggest aspiration is just to stay alive, and see my 3 kids grow up.

It’s that I was going to die and leave my husband and kids. I just tried to live in the moment when I could.

Now, I feel optimistic, a range from confident and courageous to hopeful and thankful.

To others, I would say: “Take it one day at a time, get through the bad days and enjoy the good ones! At the end of this, you will have a new pair of eyes!”