Laois mum feared she'd be 'dead in six months’ 

“I’M living proof that life is not done after my stage four breast cancer diagnosis,” says Avril Tierney, a mother of two daughters.

The 47-year-old from Laois was first diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2019 and two years later her cancer had spread to her lungs and become metastatic ‒ the worst possible news.

The patient supporter for this year's Breast Cancer Ireland Very Pink Run, which is being staged with three events from 6-14 September, is successfully living with her type of cancer, thanks to research which showed that her targeted treatment involving immunotherapy and chemotherapy is working for her.

She explained: “In 2019, after finding a lump in my right breast, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. After many tests, meetings and appointments, my oncologist and team put together a plan for chemotherapy, a lumpectomy and other treatment. I was informed of the side effects such as nausea, hair loss, fatigue, forced menopause and all that this would bring, too.” 

Those first few weeks, Avril felt like her world had been upended.

“I had panic attacks for the first time in my life and felt utterly out of control. It took some time to gather myself, but I woke one morning to a realisation that the one thing I could control was how I was in this situation.

“I could continue to panic or I could refocus, stay present and just get on with whatever came my way. Easier said than done, but I got there. The power of staying present is massive, as well as accepting help from our friends and family. I am a positive person by nature, so I had to try to stop allowing this to consume me. This is a small part of my life and that’s it. There is plenty of living to be done.” 

Following completion of primary treatment and surgery, a CT scan showed two cancerous nodules on her upper right lung. Although a huge shock to her, she was informed that the nodules were removable and treatable.

She recalled: “So, I was on the treatment train again and it moved fast. In August 2020, I had the upper right lobe removed from my lung and, following recovery from that, I began IV chemotherapy once again, followed by another CT scan.

“Unfortunately, this scan showed further spread into the lower lungs, which meant in 2021 my diagnosis became metastatic or stage four breast cancer.

“It was the worst news. I was exhausted and completely devastated. It took some time to gather myself as I truly believed I would be dead in six months.” 

But her oncologist had a new plan. Avril was tested for the presence of a protein PDL-1 and she had it.

This meant that she could start a new immunotherapy drug combined with chemotherapy. This treatment had recently finished the trial period with good results for patients and she felt very grateful to have access to it.

She said: “That was more than three years ago and for the last year-and-a-half I have had scans showing no evidence of disease. A place I never imagined I would get with a stage four diagnosis. I am so grateful for so much, for research and trials into targeted therapies. For the amazing people who donate and for Breast Cancer Ireland for working tirelessly to raise funds, funds that are so important for people like me.” 

One in seven women will develop breast cancer in the course of their lifetime, while one in 738 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Every 29 seconds someone in the world is diagnosed with breast cancer and there are 3,700 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Ireland annually.

Up to 23% of women are diagnosed between the ages of 20-50 years, 34% of women are diagnosed between the ages of 50-69 years, 36% of women are diagnosed over the age of 70 years and only 5-10% of breast cancer cases are hereditary.

Avril said: “A metastatic diagnosis doesn't mean life stops. Yes, it's devastating at first but you can move forward and live a fulfilled life with hope for the future, especially with the advances of research into medications and targeted therapies.

“I don’t have a bucket list I want to do, I just want to enjoy the everyday things of life such as seeing my children going to school and being with my family. I was as honest as I could be with my two daughters who were aged three and seven when I was diagnosed. It’s all about navigating life as best as you can and I’ve learned to prioritise myself first before I can help others. I’m so grateful and appreciate everything. Even my grey hairs!

“I am proud to be an ambassador for the Breast Cancer Ireland to contribute to their amazing work and campaigns.” 

September’s Very Pink Run promises to be a fun-filled, family-focused and entirely inclusive event. Open to all ages and abilities, the 5km and 10km options make it perfect for solo participants, families, fitness fanatics, casual strollers and everyone in between, including four-legged friends.

Since its inception, the Very Pink Run has grown into a global movement, with over 97,000 participants across 40 countries raising a phenomenal €7.3 million to date, which is all in support of ground-breaking breast cancer research and nationwide awareness and education programmes.

The 10km event in Dublin starts at noon and the 5km event starts at 12.30pm on Saturday 6 September at Leopardstown Racecourse.

Cork’s 10km event kicks off at noon and the 5km event starts at 12.30pm on Sunday 7 September at MTU, Bishopstown, Co Cork.

Kilkenny’s 10km event commences at noon and the 5km event starts at 12.15pm on Sunday 14 September in the grounds of Kilkenny Castle Park.

A large group of very well-known faces from the worlds of media, the arts and showbiz have already joined this year’s Very Pink Tribe, including author and breast cancer survivor Nicola Hanney, Dancing with the Stars winner and pro-dancer Laura Nolan, 98FM presenter and performer Paul Ryder, Newstalk presenter Andrea Gilligan, FM104’s Thomas Crosse and Zeinab Elguzouli, Virgin Media’s Elaine Crowley and presenter Kamal Ibrahim.

Also involved are long-standing ambassadors Shane Byrne and presenter James Patrice. Those lending their wholehearted support to the cause are Fine Gael councillor Emma Blain, broadcaster Lorraine Keane, Charlene Flanagan (founder of Ella & Jo brand) and Chris Connolly of Get Better with Chris fame, along with well-known Corkonians Dr Monica Oikeh and fitness guru Lesley Giltinan, aka Lean with Lesley.

Registrations for the event are open at www.verypinkrun.ie.