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Deirdre Morrissey Breast cancer survivor since 2011
Deirdre was diagnosed in December 2011
At the time her daughters were aged 5 and 2.
"Once I started chemotherapy, I became very depressed and withdrawn. I cut myself off from everybody with the exception of my husband and children. I wouldn’t even drop my kids to school because I didn’t want anyone asking me how I was doing"
Deirdre had a mastectomy on December 23rd and was discharged from hospital on Christmas Eve.
She started chemotherapy in January and went on to have six weeks of radiotherapy.
Her treatment finished in 2012.
A few weeks after finishing treatment, I went to see Leonard Cohen in Kilmainham with my husband and a group of friends. I’d bought new clothes, and there we were, sitting on the grass in Kilmainham on a beautiful summer’s evening. . . Now I feel like a survivor. I never thought I’d be able to say that. It’s a long road and there are buckets of tears along the way but I can’t believe my life now compared to three years ago. I never thought I’d be happy again
Helen Forristal, MSc (ANP) BSc (Professional Nursing) ENB 237 (Oncology Nursing), Director of Nursing Services
Helen Forristal, MSc (ANP) BSc (Professional Nursing) ENB 237 (Oncology Nursing), Director of Nursing Services
Helen worked for 22 years in London focussing on the area of urology. She joined the Macmillan Cancer Support team, after seeing the need for a more holistic approach to the care of cancer patients. Helen set up two support groups for men with prostate cancer and their families, called Prospect and PHASE. Before returning to Ireland Helen ended her time at Macmillan as Cancer Nurse Director, a post which involved leadership and accountability at a strategic level.
After returning to Ireland, Helen worked as a Clinical Nurse Manager, where her role evolved to encompass a patient centred care approach based on the principles of empowerment, dignity, compassion, justice, privacy, confidentiality, choice, advocacy and quality.
Since joining the Foundation, initially in 2014, Helen took a year out to go back into clinical practice at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin where she managed a team of oncology nurses in acute oncology end of life care.
Helen says “It’s great to be back working with the Marie Keating Foundation, my recent experience working with patients and families with cancer in the acute setting has given me much to appreciate and I am even more determined to promote health awareness and well being. A key focus for me is to enhance survivorship through the supportive programmes we have to offer. Positive Living is very much on our agenda and it is a privilege to offer programmes to patients and families who find themselves with secondary cancer in need of hope, support and knowledge
