Grateful patient raises €4k for Breast Cancer

Huge thank you to our grateful patient Blathain Callaghan who recently presented the Foundation with a cheque for €4,000 for Breast Cancer here at St James’s Hospital.

Blathain has kindly shared her story with us here:

“I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in September 2021. I was very lucky to be diagnosed as my tumour was silent and only found through scans due to having the BRCA 1 gene. I found out I had the gene after my Mam battled triple negative breast cancer in 2018. So as I was being monitored at St James’s Hospital, it was through this the tumour was found.

It’s unusual for someone my age (27) to have triple negative (an aggressive form of breast cancer) which is why it is important to raise awareness about genetics testing & also to check for symptoms no matter what your age is. I have just finished 8 rounds of chemotherapy. It was tough but I managed it. I had age & health on my side and also the fact I was diagnosed so early on.

Back in October, my friend Shannan Carney surprised me with a sponsored walk which I thought was for another charity but turned out to be in honour of me. I got such a shock on the day, it was such a lovely surprise. So much planning went into it with the help of all my family and friends. The amount raised was amazing. It was raised through sponsorship cards and local businesses raising money such as Drogheda Credit Union, Loud Ink, Just kids Creche & Montessori, Dark Valley, The Green Man, Stockwell’s Artisan foods and Crown Creatives.

The money raised (€4,000) has been split between the Genetics Research Unit (BRAVE Family Breast Cancer Fund) and the Breast Care Clinic, both in Saint James Hospital as these are two parts of the hospital important to me and always need funding to continue research. I was lucky enough to present a cheque to St James’s Hospital Foundation, who were so grateful to receive the donation.

I would like to thank everyone involved in the walk and remind them how much it meant to me. It was such a positive and uplifting day and a reminder to always follow your gut with regards to health and go for checks & tests no matter the outcome.”

Blathain Callaghan

Grateful Patient, St James’s Hospital

Newspaper article in the Drogheda Leader

Please consider making a donation to Breast Cancer at St James’s Hospital: