Helen Reddy

HER2-positive, metastatic in liver

In May 2024 while on holiday with my friends I noticed a change in how my left breast looked - the nipple looked flat. At first I thought it was because I had been lying face down in the sun for a few hours and I passed it off. The next day after my shower it was still the same. When I got home I contacted my GP for an appointment and I saw her almost immediately. She examined me and agreed that my nipple was in fact inverted and she also discovered a small lump which she said would need to be checked out. I asked for a private consultation so that I could be seen quickly as thankfully following a change of jobs the previous year, my husband now had a health plan. .

A week later I had a mammogram and saw a consultant in the Breast Clinic. He confirmed that from the mammogram he could see that the lump was actually attached to my nipple and was pulling it inwards. He said that he would biopsy the lump and lymph node under my arm even though he could feel no enlargement in the node. He advised a lumpectomy was probable and I would lose my nipple however this surgery was contingent on a negative result from the biopsies.

When I saw the consultant a week or 2 later he told me that I had Her2 positive breast cancer in both my left breast and the lymph node. His plan was for me to have chemotherapy and a full mastectomy when the treatment was done. He also said that pending further tests after the chemo, I would most likely need to take medication for at least 5 years. He was very reassuring, saying he expected a good recovery despite the fact that I had actually missed my breast check mammogram at the end of March.

I met with the oncologist in Beaumont and he laid out the treatment plan he had agreed with the surgeon. Eight 21 day cycles of treatment with treatment on day 1 and day 8 of each cycle. I was sent a prescription for medication to take on my long chemo days and my local pharmacist told me to register for the Drugs Payment Scheme. I opted to have my chemotherapy in The Bon Secours in Glasnevin as it was covered under my health insurance. The week before my treatment began I had a meeting with the oncology nurse in the hospital who explained how to take the medication and also how each treatment day would go. The oncologist and nurses did everything they could to make me feel better and answered all my questions. I began my treatment on July 21st and was glad to finally get it started.

However, while the brain CT was clear, something had showed up on my liver on the full body scan. Everything else looked good but I was sent for another MRI and a liver biopsy. The good feeling I had at the start of my treatment very quickly disappeared and I became extremely anxious and upset about the MRI, biopsy and the impending results. My side effects from the chemo weren’t too bad - no fatigue or getting sick however I had severe diarrhoea for a few weeks and lost 7lbs quite rapidly. I was aware that the chemo doses are based on your weight and this weight loss added to my anxiety and made me feel worse. I saw the dietitian at the hospital and we discussed food plans and I was put on a food supplement but still the diarrhoea continued. There was a delay in getting the results from the liver MRI and biopsy, I ended up getting a prescription for Zanex to help me through and also an appointment to see an oncology psychiatrist at the Breast Clinic. I actually had an anxiety attack at this first meeting and she gave me the tools/practices to bring my CNS back to a calm state. I would see her for a few weeks and it was good to have her to talk to. I was also practicing meditation, yoga and listening to mindfulness podcasts and affirmations etc. I was able to get down to Galway and walk along The Flaggy Shore with my sisters - my energy is always better when I’m there and I hadn’t been able to get down for a few months.

A month into my treatment on my Daughter’s 25th anniversary, the oncologist told me that the cancer had indeed gone to my liver. I was distraught and didn’t/couldn’t hear or understand anything else he was saying. All I heard was liver and cancer in the same sentence. I’d looked at things on the internet and I started thinking about all the worst possible scenarios. Despite the reassurances from the oncologist and nurses that I had treatable/manageable breast cancer in my liver NOT primary liver cancer, my anxiety took over and thankfully my friend was there and was able to remember what I was being told about my future treatments. I made an appointment to come back to see the oncologist at the end of the week when I was more calm and had time to digest the news and talk about my diagnosis with my family.

At this visit he explained that there may not be a need now for the surgery based on how I was responding to the treatments and the fact that my treatment would now be long term - a type of maintenance. So the initial plan for my treatment was tweaked and the heavy chemo Carboplatin was going to be stopped after cycle 4 based on this new maintenance type treatment. Eventually my anxiety settled once I was able to fully understand my new diagnosis and how the treatment was expected to work. The diarrhoea also became less frequent and I began to put a bit of weight back on. I continued to see the psychiatrist however I stopped the medication that had been prescribed for me for my anxiety.

My husband, children (all adults) and my family & friends were all shocked with my diagnosis. It was so out of the blue and then there it was. Cancer. The dreaded word. They all did their best to put on brave faces for me and I always felt 100% supported but I could see they were all scared too. I’m a carer for my mam who is 91 and so my sisters all rallied round drawing up rotas to make sure things stayed as normal as possible for her. I’m so grateful to my family and friends for their thoughtfulness and help in the last few months. They kept saying it’s time for you now to receive the love and support back that you have given - it took a while for me to step back and accept this.

I settled back into my treatment and had a scan at the beginning of October. I knew the treatment was working as I could see a change in my breast however I was still apprehensive about my meeting with my oncologist. But he told me that the treatment was indeed working and showed me earlier scans compared to the latest ones, he said there was nothing showing up anywhere except in my breast and liver and the tumours in both were significantly reduced. He was as delighted to give this news as I was to receive it. His plan for me is to stay on the infusions until the end of December and then I will be scanned again in January 2026. If the positive response to the treatment continues I may only have to take some medication with regular scans to keep a close eye on everything - this would be my hope.

Before I had any diagnosis, I was busy with family, my friends, my gym, running club and various other groups. I didn’t make time for myself, I was a people pleaser and never said No to anyone. I did miss a mammogram and thankfully I noticed the change when I was away when I finally did slow down. Now, I am taking time for myself, saying yes to myself and more importantly not feeling guilty about saying no to others even though no one ever puts pressure on me to do things.

This year I turn 60. My daughter Muireann would have been 25. She died at 4 weeks as she was born with severe hydrocephalus. However with the help of The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation, we were able to bring her home to be with us for that short time. So over the years I have actively fundraised for Jack & Jill and this year I had decided to mark her 25th anniversary and my 60th in November but setting some challenges for myself. I had completed a half marathon in Inis Mór in April, a sprint distance Triathlon in Athy in May and ran the Women’s Mini Marathon the next day. 2 weeks later I had my diagnosis and I tried to maintain my physical activity as much as possible. I was determined not to let it slide as my training has been a very important part of my life for the last 10 years for both the physical and mental health benefits. I’ll be honest and say I was more upset about losing my muscle tone after all these years than I was about losing my hair which I always kept short and funky anyway. When my stylist took it off it wasn’t upsetting for me, it was for my friends with long hair and I can completely empathise with women who lose their hair and are upset by this side effect.

More recently as I’ve begun to feel better I’ve started going back to my gym - The Wellness Hub in Donaghmede, doing weight based training combined with strength & conditioning classes. I’ve started back running in Portmarnock with my Shelters Running Community. I have been a regular all year swimmer in Portmarnock for a few years and there is a very special group of people who meet regularly there who have played such an important part in my life over the last few months especially. I missed not getting out to the beach for sunrises, walks, chats dips, hugs and laughs with them but I’m back out now when I can and that has helped lift my spirits. I am planning to return to the pool and get back out on my bike before the end of this year. I’ve booked my first run for 2026 and rebooked for Tri Athy in May. I was at my peak fitness when I started my treatment and I believe this has helped me through the chemotherapy and enabled me to start back at my physical activity without being exhausted. But when I get tired or have bad tummy days, I just dial it back and go for a beach walk. I do a lovely yoga practice once a week with my friend Caroline and now I’m completely present when I’m there or doing breath work & meditation with my friend Grace. Previously I would have been there in body only, thinking and planning all the things I ‘had’ to do. I’ve taken up reading after about 7 years and take the time to listen to my thoughts about where my journey is now taking me. My dad is probably smiling down now - happy that I’ve finally slowed down. I have felt his presence and others around me in the last few months - those physically here and those we can’t see but whom we feel around us. The oncology nurse said my breast cancer will be treated now like a chronic illness. I can live with that, taking the time for myself and the things that help me. I’ve found I’m less tolerant of negativity, anger and selfishness - I would have taken it all on before so as not to disappoint others. I think more now about what I’m grateful for and each morning when I wake I will try and acknowledge 2 or 3 things I’m grateful for and they don’t have to be huge - just simple gratitude. I do think that my life is going to change direction a little and I have an idea about where it’s heading but not quite sure about how it will all take shape. I’m very grateful for the help I have received since I’ve been diagnosed - I took part in the Great Pink Run in 2024, then did the DipCember 12 dips for my friend who had been diagnosed last November. Little did I know that 6 months later I’d be in a similar situation so this year I walked the Great Pink Run with my family there supporting me - it was a very emotional experience for me. In December I will do the 12 dips again, grateful to be there to give something back and hopeful for my future.