Today was different! Something new and exciting! I was asked to go on East Coast FM to discuss my booklet and talk about my story on the Declan Meehan Show. Nervous was an understatement – I have spoken about this many times but I had never been on the radio before and I didn’t know what to expect. But it was great! Surprise surprise, once I started talking I couldn’t stop. I talked from diagnosis right through to where I am now and why I decided to write the article. Honestly I could have kept going and spoken for hours about it, so hopefully I will get the opportunity again! It was more emotional than I expected though – I got back into my car and cried for 15 minutes straight – and I don’t mean a little tear, I properly cried. I imagine the people in the car park were thinking, who is that crazy lady in her car sobbing! I was overcome with emotion and to be honest I don’t know what the emotion was. Gratitude, for the ability to help. Sadness, that I have been through something like this where I have the first hand experience on the subject and happiness, that I am lucky enough to have come through it! See what I mean! A roller coaster!
All I wanted when I went into remission was to get back to “normal”. When I realised that there was no such thing anymore and I had to face what had happened and work through it, all I wanted to do was help other people going through it! In whatever way I could. I’m only one little person in this big world but if I could get my experience out there and potentially impact someone else journey or the friends and family of someone going through treatment or post treatment then I was one happy girl!
And that is what I have been able to do, with opportunities like this, and speaking at the Greystones Cancer Support Summer Lunch I have been able to do what I wanted to do and get the word out there that you are not alone with these feelings! It is OK not to be OK and even though it’s so cliche, talking is key – you cannot do this alone, nor should you feel like you have to!
And I won’t be stopping there – I want to spread the word of life after cancer and the ups and downs of it all. So stay tuned and see what happens!
Here’s a link to the podcast of my radio interview – take a listen!
https://www.eastcoast.fm/podcasts2/podcasts/the-morning-show/episode/niamh-fortune/