Northern Irish mum-of-four opens up on her breast cancer diagnosis

A NI mum-of-four has opened up on her breast cancer diagnosis.

45-year-old Seanna lives just outside Belfast with her husband Ryan and their four children, Kerryn, Kori, Frankie and Vinnie.

In September 2022, the mum-of-four was diagnosed after feeling a pain her breast, saying she had "never felt pain like it".

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Seanna told Belfast Live: "I was diagnosed in 2022 with suspected breast cancer. What they found was, it was a bit rare. I had cancer in the lymph nodes, and pre-cancer cells in the breast. They decided that we had to do something. I opted for a mastectomy and undergone surgery in October 2022, and then I started chemotherapy in December.

"The type of cancer that I had was HER2-positive which can be quite aggressive, it's like a gene. With that, you have to undergo immunotherapy. I had six rounds of chemo, and the 4th, 5th and 6th round of chemo, they introduced immunotherapy then in that, and you're on that for about a year. So, sort of 18 treatment months in total.

"I was on that for a year. After about five cycles of that type of immunotherapy, I took a reaction and then we had to change the treatment. It kind of went from a 15 minute injection to a four hour drip every three weeks. It was sort of intensive. I finished that just at the end of March there this year. In between that, I've had a blood clot, iron infusions, and a lot of other ongoing issues."

The mum-of-four also opened up on how she told her children about her diagnosis. Seanna said: "Four children, completely different ages and each of them process things completely different, as all children do.

"We told the two big ones straight away. We were quite open and honest, we are a very honest family. We did explain to the two bigger children. The two little ones, there's a book by Macmillan and it's called Mummy's Lump.

"It takes you through the journey of mummy finding a lump and then the procedures of having an operation, and then chemotherapy, starting to lose her hair and taking a special medicine. It sort of takes them through that, and then at the end they go for a picnic on the beach.

"Everything was very… it was very sudden, nobody in my family has had breast cancer. So when it happened to me, it was a big shock to everyone. We didn't know if we were coming or going because [it was] rare, they weren't sure sort of what way to treat me. So I had to go for extra MRIs, extra biopsies. There was a lot going on. So it was constant running to the hospital."

The 45-year-old added: "It was just constant and we didn't want to worry the children. So Ryan and I, my husband, we decided that we would leave it until after at least the operation, because when you're reading the book to the kids, then if they know that you're halfway through the book, they believe that the ending is going to be the result.

"So that was what we had, we had intended to do. When I found out I had to have chemotherapy, we decided that we were going to have to tell the kids because the oncologist does tell you within sort of 14 days, your hair does start falling out.

"We did sit down with the two younger ones then, just let them know sort of what was going to happen and what was to be expected and that I would be a wee bit sick and I would lose my hair, that there would be a lot going on. Shortly after I started chemotherapy."

Seanna continued: "My youngest, he processes things completely different. The way he looked at it was when we get the picnic on the beach, that's mummy better. So that's what he had in his head, which we did get, we did get that in the summer there.

"My daughter, as she was reading the book, she clicked. As we were reading the book to her, she was just sitting on my knee and she clicked - ‘This is you mum’. She was very, very upset.

"But the other two children, the bigger ones, they were here to support the wee ones as well… They were like, ‘Mummy, we're here’. So we all worked really together as a family."

Seanna's family were put in touch with Cancer Fund for Children, and received support from the charity including from Cancer Support Specialist Gareth.

"He talked to [the children] on an individual basis which was great, he was able to pick up on what was upsetting them, what was annoying them."

The family also had a visit to Daisy Lodge, the charity's short break centre. "It was amazing. It's just heaven. It's just such a lovely feeling when you get there, you're just treated so well. The staff are absolutely amazing, the views are unreal. All of us had such a lovely relaxing time. We were there for two days and it actually felt like we'd been there for over a week. It was just so relaxing and you were around other people who were going through something similar to you," Seanna said.

She added: "I was very grateful for the support. When you have cancer, the minute that somebody else finds out you have cancer, there's this look that they give you and it's nothing bad on them, but I always called it the pity look - because you always feel - please don't pity me, you know... I'm trying, I'm getting through this, I'll get through it.

"At Daisy Lodge, you don't get that look. It was the first time I felt normal."

Seannas children have also fundraised and continue to work with the charity, helping others receive the support that they did.

She told how proud she is of them, and added: "What they received from Cancer Fund for Children was amazing and they just want to make sure that continues for other families.

"My journey hasn't been easy, and every time we got somewhere, something else happened. They've been so resilient throughout it all. That added support from Cancer Fund for Children has helped them along the way."

Seanna and her family are backing the charity's Santa Cause Christmas Campaign to help support children impacted by cancer this festive season. You can find out more here

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