Happy Magazine - Positivity Through Cancer

FEATURE NEVER GIVE UP: CHRIS’S STORY

RESTORATIVE YOGA HOME SEQUENCE

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HAPPY DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ONCOLOGY NURSE

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POSITIVITY THROUGH CANCER

MAY 2019 | FREE

MORE THAN

WORDS THE LANGUAGE KEEPING US BACK

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EXERCISE CANCER

FIT FOR LIFE Sarah Ní Riain

SUGAR

TIPS TO REDUCE THE ADDED SUGARS IN YOUR DIET

WIN A GREEN ANGEL SKINCARE GIFT SET FOR YOUR CARER - COMPETITION ON PAGE 52

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Contributors

editorial

CHRIS PROBY

Because we can still be happy while we have cancer

H

ello and welcome to the second issue of Happy Magazine! My name is Holly and I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2016 and spent thirteen months going through treatment.

Having cancer has, without a doubt, changed me and changed my life. These days, I am starting to be able to say that cancer has changed me for the better. It’s been a long road to get here, and there have been many tears along the way, but now, I can honestly say that I am right where I am meant to be, right where I need to be – and that is here, creating this magazine for you. And for me, too. This is my new passion, my new purpose – and I hope, so very much, that it helps you with your own cancer journey.

I have been asked many times why I called this magazine ‘Happy’. The reason was that for me, it was how to be happy again after cancer. Because ‘happy’ is all I wanted to be after my diagnosis and all that I felt I would never be again. But, I found happiness again, and so will you, no matter what you are going through. Happiness is there for us, in every day, in every moment, even right now, if we can look for it, if we can see it. I hope this magazine will help you find your moments of happiness. Please let me know what you think of our second issue and how we can improve it for the next edition.

Happy reading!

Holly holly@happymagazine.ie

The content in this magazine is not intended to replace medical advice in any circumstance. It is important to always remember that any changes that you make to your diet, medication, cancer treatment or lifestyle should be discussed first with your medical team to ensure that they do not conflict or interrupt your specific treatment. If you have an immediate concern about your health, please contact your oncologist, GP or local emergency room.

www.happymagazine.ie

Happy Magazine, Lucan, Co. Dublin Happy Magazine @HappyMagIE

@happymagirl

Editor Holly Kennedy Assistant Editor Dee Mack · Design Holly Kennedy & Maria Gallagher Printing Hello Print Distribution Manager Cathy McCarthy Media & Publicity Leontia Fannin To advertise, email holly@happymagazine.ie Quarterly circulation 5,000 copies Happy Magazine is published by Happy Publications, Lucan, Co. Dublin.

The publisher accepts no responsibility for the opinions of or claims made by contributors and advertisers.

In addition, while every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information contained in Happy Magazine, we do not accept responsibility for any errors or matters arising from same. © Happy Publications.

Chris Proby is 35 years old and from Inch, just outside Gorey, Co. Wexford. Chris moved to Dublin in January of 2015 to start a new job, but just a few months in, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

His remarkable story of treatment and recovery is on pages 10-15.

SADIA BADIEI

Sadia is a Canadian foodie and Dietetics Graduate currently living in The Netherlands. She now works as a YouTube content creator for her channel Pick Up Limes – an online community of over 1 million people. She also regularly adds new plant-based recipes to her blog, along with uncomplicated and informative nutrition articles. The Pick Up Limes food philosophy is to take things back to the basics. Sadia’s feature on sugar and how to reduce the added sugars in our diet is on page 22-25.

NIAMH GAFFNEY

Niamh Gaffney runs coaching consulting company Directionality. She was 35 and a new mum to a gorgeous 6-month old baby girl when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the year that followed, she dealt with surgery, fertility preservation treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and then faced redundancy from her executive level role. She seriously struggled with the aftermath until coaching helped her realise that there was no going back – she needed to find her ‘new normal’. Find her article on Language on page 26.

Would you like to write for Happy Magazine?

We’re always looking for reader stories, practical tips and helpful knowledge. Email us for details at holly@happymagazine.ie HAPPY MAGAZINE | 3

REST AND REJUVENATE

NEW

The Slieve Russell Hotel’s innovative Spa offers a selection of Cancer Care Touch Treatments suitable for people living with and beyond cancer. Located just 90 minutes from Dublin, the Slieve Russell is a 4 star hotel with a lot to offer. If you’re thinking of booking yourself a relaxing spa weekend away, this hotel might be just the place for you. The Ciúin Spa is the Slieve Russell’s sanctuary of tranquillity and luxury. Ciúin means calm and quiet in Irish and as such each treatment room has been designed to provide maximum comfort and relaxation.

The Cancer Care Touch Treatments have been designed to create a sense of wellbeing for the body, mind and emotions using Spiezia 100% organic ingredients and a range of specialised relaxation techniques conducted

by Ciúin Spa’s specially trained, experienced Spiezia therapists. For more information visit slieverussell.ie.

We’re here to provide positive inspiration and support for your cancer journey

BEGINNINGS

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WATCH and LEARN

Make the perfect egg salad this summer with this simple video recipe from Lisa of the Downshiftology channel on YouTube. Egg salad is something we eat a lot of here at Happy Magazine – we have it on sandwiches and in wraps all the time and especially so in the summer. We think this recipe in particular is really tasty and will be trying it with boiled new potatoes too for an easy potato and egg salad on warmer evenings. Find this video on HappyMagazine.ie by typing in ‘egg’ in our search bar.

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Who says holidays have to be full of unhealthy eating? Sadia from the Pick Up Limes channel on YouTube shows what her and her partner eat on a day exploring on holiday in Gran Canaria, Spain in one of her recent videos. They buy fresh ingredients while travelling and put together a simple but nutritious breakfast and packed lunch in their selfcatering accommodation, before heading out for the day. Then you see what they eat that same evening while out in the nearest city. Find this video on HappyMagazine.ie by typing ‘holiday’ in our search bar.

NEW BEGINNINGS

OPEN MIND

changed life Yogamatters is an online yoga store where you can find whatever you need for your yoga practice, on and off the mat, all under one virtual roof. They don’t stop at mats, props and clothes – they stock everything you could possibly think of that goes with being a happy yogi – from meditation accessories, candles, creams, soaps to even teas. They also have a vast collection of yoga books to help you progress along your journey – covering subjects from yoga styles, anatomy and philosophy, to meditation, healthy eating, journals and yoga sequencing cards. Their knowledge and genuine love of what they do is obvious by the care they take to source suitable products. Visit their website to browse and shop their extensive 2,500 products.

You can also follow them on Instagram to keep an eye out for new products and sign up for their newsletter to catch all blog articles. yogamatters.com

Episode 38 of Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better, Live More podcast is definitely worth a listen. He chats to Dr Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and executive coach who has a book titled The Source: Open Your Mind, Change Your Life. Tara and Rangan discuss how simple and free creative exercises like journaling and creating an actionable vision board for your life can help you accomplish the things you have always wanted to do.

Tara explains the actual science behind ‘the law of attraction’ and talks about how what we think and feel are so intimately connected with what goes on in our bodies.

She also gives her top tips for getting the most out of life. Find it on HappyMagazine. ie by typing ‘tara swart’ into our search bar.

FEELING

FRESH Nua Naturals is an organic vegan superfood brand which has grown from three pals passionate to share their journey of positive health to a widely available growing range of over 60 products.

Originally Ireland’s Raw Kitchen, the range spans berries, seeds, lattes and smoothie boosters to vegan-friendly protein powders. Their philosophy is to help their customer ‘make small changes that make big differences to their lasting health for a happy and balanced life’. Nua Naturals are available in The Hopsack, The Health Store and all good health shops.

Co-formulated by an Irish doctor, Indeora is a new and innovative healthy spray deodorant to launch in Ireland. Utilising specially sourced magnesium to neutralise odour safely and effectively, it is free from all forms of aluminium, propellants, silicones and synthetic fragrances. Co-founders Eimear Tully & Dr Pranshul Chauhan spent over two years researching the formula in Ireland with health and wellbeing set as the core ethos in creating their natural deodorant. Each bottle of Indeora offers 400 sprays and can last up to 3 months. It also leaves no marks or stains on clothing and is quick and easy to use on the go. Scented with a natural coconut fragrance, it smells refreshing, providing up to 24-hour odour protection.

It is available to purchase in select pharmacies nationwide and direct on indeora.com priced at €19.95. Free ROI shipping on all orders.

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TOP TEN BE INSPIRED

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WALK or run the

2019 Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon on the June Bank Holiday Weekend on Sunday 2 June at 2pm.

Why not round up a few friends and family for this fun day and walk or run together – for yourself or for a great cause? Over 30,000 women are expected to walk, jog and run the 10K route in Dublin starting in Fitzwilliam Square and finishing on Baggot St. Find out more and enter at vhiwomensminimarathon.ie.

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CELEBRATE a milestone in

your treatment plan with a special lunch at Chapter One. A uniquely Irish dining space, what you see on a plate in Chapter One is an expression of many artisans, many landscapes and much hardworking talent. Book well in advance to ensure you get the date you want. This is an experience you won’t forget. Book online at chapteronerestaurant.com.

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FEEL the benefits of

restorative yoga with a candlelit session at Yoga Dublin. Restorative yoga is a powerful style of yoga that is gentle yet empowering. This particular class is a simple, safe, effective, noninvasive form of yoga that anybody can practice.

Suitable for beginners through to advanced yoga practitioners and yoga teachers.

Find out more at yogadublin.com.

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WATCH Stay Here is an American reality television series on

Netflix that focuses on home improvements. The show’s first season of 8 episodes was released on Netflix on 17 August 2018. It features Genevieve Gorder, an interior designer, and Peter Lorimer, a real estate broker, transforming homeowners’ short-term rental homes into money-makers across the United States. Episodes include a houseboat in Seattle, Washington, a brownstone in Brooklyn, New York, and a firehouse in Washington, D.C. Available now on Netflix

TREAT yourself to a

www.kildarevillage.com

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CREATE

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VISIT the Green Door

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great day out at Kildare Village. You will find it difficult to resist temptation with 100 brands such as Louise Kennedy, Armani, Brooks Brothers, Anya Hindmarch, Mulberry and Hugo Boss offering up to 60% off all year around. Check out Alchemy Juice Company for a healthy lunch or Starbucks is the perfect spot for a restorative coffee and treat.

Market – an indoor farmers/ food market with stalls supplying excellent quality organic produce located in Dublin 8, close to the city centre. Twisted Dough is a little food stand at the back which is really quite special. Visit greendoor.ie for more.

SMELL the fresh sea air with

a drive and a walk at Bull Island in Dublin. You can get a steaming coffee from container café Happy Out and walk beside the water to inhale some lovely big breaths of fresh sea air. We think it’s got all the right ingredients for a lovely afternoon. www.happyout.ie

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a vision board for yourself for the next twelve months and see how it can help you transform your daily life.

Dr Tara Swart’s book The Source has plenty of tips to offer.

TASTE

Organico is a shop, café and bakery in Bantry, Co Cork, well worth a visit if you’re in the area this summer.

Take home a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery, or stock up on household/ kitchen essentials in the shop.

10 MAKE your own easy and healthy

jam with Sadia’s recipe for chia seed jam on HappyMagazine.ie. There’s no added sugar and it really doesn’t need it. The sweetness comes naturally from the berries and the thickening from the chia seeds. Enjoy on toast, on oatmeal to naturally sweeten, or in your yogurt and granola parfait in the morning, completely guilt-free. It’s loaded with antioxidants, fibre, minerals, vitamins and omega-3 fats from the chia seeds.

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BOOKS

lost in words

the underlying causes of our anxieties in four main areas: Body, Mind, Relationships, and Life. Pairing the science of what happens in our brains and our bodies when we become stressed with personal accounts and patient cases, Dr Chatterjee provides easy to implement solutions for the whole spectrum of stressors we face on a daily basis. €23.80 at Easons

THE ALCHEMIST

HANDPICKED BOOKS FOR THE CANCER JOURNEY

Paulo Coelho

Harper

Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. This is such a book – a magical fable about learning to listen to your heart, read the omens strewn along life’s path and, above, all follow your dreams. €23.79 at Easons

NOT THE YEAR YOU HAD PLANNED: A POSITIVE SELF-HELP BOOK FOR A CANCER JOURNEY

VEGAN-ISH

Cathy McCarthy

Holly White

Newleaf

Cathy McCarthy believes that what is initially perceived as an overwhelming journey can somehow unearth strength and courage within us that we never knew we had. Her hope is that this uplifting but very practical book will play a positive and supportive role during a cancer illness and will be of interest to the person making that journey, as well as family and friends.

Gill Books

A Gentle Introduction to a Plant-Based Diet. Whether you are already a committed vegan or just curious about this increasingly popular diet which has so many health and environmental benefits, allow Holly White to take you on a mouth-watering journey through her own slow conversion to a plant-based diet. Vegan-ish includes over 100 of the delicious, everyday recipes she has created, as well as practical advice on when and how to change your diet, food swaps, eating out and shopping economically for plant-based foods. €22.99 at Easons

€12.99 at Books.ie

THE STRESS SOLUTION Dr Rangan Chatterjee Penguin

4 steps to a calmer, happier, healthier you. For Dr Chatterjee, the key to solving the problem of stress is about addressing

+ THE BEST READS FOR A POSITIVE MINDSET THE SOURCE Dr Tara Swart Vermilion

Dr Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and executive coach with a background in psychiatry, is convinced beyond all doubt of our ability to alter how our brains work - and transform our lives. In The Source, she draws on the latest cognitive science and her experience coaching highly successful people to reveal the secret to mastering our minds. €17.99 at Easons

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THE KEY TO HAPPINESS

LAGOM

Linnea Dunne

Meik Wiking

Octopus

Lagom is the new Scandi lifestyle trend taking the world by storm.

This delightfully illustrated book gives you the lowdown on this transformative approach to life and examines how the lagom ethos has helped boost Sweden to the No.10 ranking in 2017’s World Happiness Report. €14.00 at Easons

Penguin

In The Key to Happiness, Meik explores the hidden treasures which can improve your happiness, and divides them into the six building blocks of happiness; togetherness, money, health, kindness, trust and freedom. €8.99 at Easons

Softer, Cooler, Kinder Post Surgery Lingerie

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NEVER GIVE UP CHRIS PROBY WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMA IN 2015. HERE’S HIS STORY.

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FEATURE

M

y name is Chris Proby, I’m 35 years old and I’m from the quaint village of Inch, just outside of Gorey in Co. Wexford, but I moved to Dublin in January of 2015 to start a new job.

It was 2015, I wasn’t long living in Dublin after starting a new job that January, I also met my amazing girlfriend soon after moving to Dublin, everything was going great. I was big into running, I completed the Manchester Marathon in a time of 3:06 that April as part of my training with the aim to take on the Cologne Marathon in October to attempt my sub three-hour goal. While training one summer’s evening in June someone in the park accidentally hit me really hard on my leg with a football, I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but over the coming days and weeks I developed severe pains in the same leg that eventually led me to getting an MRI to try and find out the source of the problem.

The MRI revealed a sizeable tumour in my left leg, exactly where I was hit by the football. Further tests indicated that it was cancerous and I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

A full body scan indicated that it had spread throughout my whole body and most worryingly up to my sinus in my head. It turns out that the guy who accidentally hit me with the ball probably saved my life without even knowing it. My specialist said he would have to treat me hard but that success rates were high, he told me he would get me right and I believed him. I told him that he had to get me back running, he said he would, and that is what I held on to every day to get me through.

at the time was he able to give me such a high dose chemotherapy and radiation treatment plan, but my life depended on it due to the aggressiveness of the cancer.

I needed 7 individual weeks as in an inpatient, one week in hospital followed by two weeks at home recovering. The one week in hospital consisted of chemotherapy for 24 hours a day for 5 days straight so it was tough going. To be hooked up 24 hours a day for 5 days in a row with barely enough time to shower between cycles was incredibly difficult to handle, I like my freedom so I didn’t like that aspect of being connected for basically 5 days solid.

That process took approximately 5 months, and after I had finished the chemotherapy I had three weeks of radiation before being sent home. I got the all clear in March 2016 as practically promised by my specialist, however, just 9 months later I relapsed.

It was December 2016 when I relapsed, I was almost ready to go back to work, my girlfriend and I were just home from a dream three week holiday to Thailand, and ready to start our new life together. Just days after arriving home from Thailand I was admitted to St James’s Hospital with breathing difficulties, we never ever imagined it was because I was relapsing, in fact it was suspected that I picked up some form of foreign virus in Thailand, needless to say it didn’t go my way.

One thing I have learned about hospitals over the last few years is that you need to be proactively in charge of your treatment – your appointments, ongoing and follow-up care (including post cancer care) and scans, the all important scans. If you don’t keep on top of it yourself it won’t always run smoothly, and your life might just depend on it!

How did you feel when you were first diagnosed?

How did treatment go for you?

Your diagnosis story

I was in total shock, I nearly didn’t believe it when I was told. I had only run a 3:06 marathon a few months prior to my diagnosis, I was 32 years old, non-smoker, healthy, fit as a fiddle, I just couldn’t understand or believe it, but before I knew it I was admitted and started my treatment.

You have to be a pretty fit athlete to run a 3:06 marathon so still to this day it astounds me as to how I managed it considering I had an aggressive cancer taking over my body! It just didn’t seem to make sense to me at all, I seemed so fit and healthy, there were no visible signs or side effects of this awful disease and so I found it hard to come to the realisation of it all. You never think, actually you hope that it will never be you, I would think to myself sure why would it be me, how would it be me when I look after myself so well, but I found out the hard way that it doesn’t matter who you are in this world, cancer takes no prisoners and it wouldn’t think twice about it either.

Your treatment plan?

My treatment plan was exceptionally heavy going due to the aggressiveness of the cancer. My specialist told me that only due to the fact that I was so fit and young

“

I NEEDED 7 INDIVIDUAL WEEKS AS AN INPATIENT, ONE WEEK IN HOSPITAL FOLLOWED BY TWO WEEKS AT HOME RECOVERING

I’ll be honest, I don’t actually remember much about the treatment from St James’s Hospital at all, I think I was so traumatised after relapsing that my brain just wasn’t able to process it, my brain basically shut down, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, neither was the specialist in the hospital and so my brain just shut down. The specialist in St Vincent’s the first time around was adamant that he would get me better, that the treatment would work, but this time was different, the wording used wasn’t optimistic. It was very much a “we’ll see how it goes” type of wording, and that was scary. I can’t remember what chemotherapy I was on or for how long, but I do know I never really got back out of hospital until the end of March 2017.

I had a bone marrow transplant at the beginning of March 2017, which thankfully proved to be successful.

To get me to the life-saving transplant I had to get the ‘all clear’ from cancer first, so I was basically given high levels of chemotherapy and full body radiation which luckily for me worked. If you can think about that situation, I needed a life-saving bone marrow transplant, to have the transplant I needed to be cancer free, so it

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FEATURE

was all up to the pre-transplant treatment to get me there, then there was the scan to determine if I was cancer-free and ready for the transplant, which may or may not work, I just can’t describe enough the thoughts that go through your mind, the anxiety, stress and pressure of it all.

The bone marrow transplant meant I was isolated to my room for 5 weeks solid, and that was what I found toughest, along with the side effects of the treatment of course. Not being able to go for a walk outside to clear my head or to breathe fresh air was really difficult, needless to say it was the most amazing feeling walking out of the hospital after those 5 long weeks.

Worst/best part of treatment?

The worst part about treatment for me would be the side effects, but it’s important to note that there are so many different types of chemotherapy treatments, that everyone’s differ. Hospitals can provide a tablet for pretty much any side effect you have which does help, but ultimately I did find the side effects the most difficult part of the treatment, and one which still affects me to this day is fatigue, fatigue is awful. It’s a world beyond tiredness, it’s something that affected me so badly post treatment but thankfully gets better with time, and when you learn to manage it in the right way.

I also found the isolation very difficult, being in a room for so long and not being allowed to go outside, to get fresh air, I experienced horrendous anxiety and panic attacks at times as a result of being so isolated, but it is something I just learned to cope with and work through as best as I could using a few different techniques, such as breathing exercises or by listening to calming music.

I can’t say there was a “best part” about the treatment, however, it was the treatment I received that has me here today, so I guess that is the best part about the treatment. It does remind me of when I first started receiving chemotherapy, I would look at the bags of chemotherapy hanging beside me being dripped in to my body and I felt so angry, angry that these chemicals were taking over my body.

I had to realise and come to terms in my own head that these chemicals were the chemicals that were actually killing something far worse in my With my girlfirend Niamh body to keep me alive, and that was something quite important for me to come to adjust to.

After a hike at Glendalough

What got you through treatment?

My family, my friends, my girlfriend, loved ones, they helped me through the treatment, they were there for me every single day, I actually can’t get over the support I had. I was not a single day in hospital without someone being by my side, holding my hand, sitting by my bed while I slept, while I received treatment.

Sometimes people would have come and gone while I mostly slept, just to be there for me, I count myself incredibly lucky to have all these amazing people in my life who helped me through it all.

My specialist. The nurses. Treasure them! I could not have come through this without them, they are amazing, I can’t thank 12 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

Moving on with my life

FEATURE

During one of my hospital stays

them enough. I have seen first hand just how sizeable a task they have to cope with on a daily basis, they have been incredible. They are there for you all day every day, they see you on your good days and your bad, I can only imagine the physical and emotional strain they have to deal with every day, just as patients have, we are in this together.

Battling through cancer is an incredibly emotional time, it’s an emotional rollercoaster, highs and lows, but something important to mention was that I was on a huge amount of medication every day which I found would really play around with my emotions.

I eventually learned as best as I could how to deal with those emotions I was experiencing, if I found myself really upset at something that normally wouldn’t upset me I would just tell myself that it was the tablets and I’ll be ok in a while, and that really helped me.

Getting back running was also one of the main tools I used to get me through the treatment, my goal was to basically get back running after I was better, and I guess I probably used that to avoid thinking about what I was really going through or how difficult of a situation I was in. I would literally think about how I was going to get back on track with my running, or what events I would run first when I got back fit, and that really helped me. Having that goal, a focus, something to hold on to, even if they were unrealistic goals I still set them because they just kept me so motivated and determined, determined to get through the treatment and show people what I’m made of, and to show others that it can be done, that cancer can be beaten and that you can get back to what you love doing most. I had my three marathon medals hanging from my drip stand and pictures of me at my favourite running events on the whiteboard in my room, that was my motivation, and a great conversation starter with the nurses and doctors. It was my way of ensuring I wasn’t seen as just a chart number, I was a runner, a person.

Single best advice that helped

I will always recall my sister coming up with the idea of a “carrot” to look forward to at the end of each treatment. She basically said to me that after each cycle of treatment I should have something to look forward to when I got home, something which would help me get through the week. It could be as simple as buying a few cream buns, or going out for lunch or dinner somewhere nice, a massage, a night away, a movie night at home, anything, just something nice to focus on each week, and that really helped me get through each cycle, one step at a time.

Where are you now/how are you now?

I’m actually now two years since I was discharged after the transplant, being honest, I naively expected that things would be running a lot more smoothly by now but that wasn’t to be the case.

I’m certainly getting stronger and stronger as time passes, but I can’t deny that it has been a very bumpy two years!

The winters have been most difficult as my immune system attempts to rebuild itself, I just seem to keep getting knocked back,

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FEATURE

incidentally just as I thought I was finally going to clear this winter it turns out there were other plans in store for me. At the end of March I came down with sinusitis, and from that I ended up with facial shingles, a common post-transplant issue it seems. It was a fairly painful and tiring experience, and then came the final kick in the teeth, as the shingles began to clear I took a turn and was sent to hospital and it turns out I had contracted viral meningitis, so it has certainly been a very stressful end to the winter for me. It seems like it’s one step forward followed by two steps back, at the same time, when I get downbeat about it, I just remind myself what my body has had to fight through since I was first diagnosed, and the great progress I have made over the past two years.

On that positive note, after a long phased in period with work, I am about to return to full-time hours. There are times when I think back on what I have been through and feel that the fact I am back in work at all after what I have been put through is an achievement in itself. Cancer can take such an incredible toll on a person’s mental and physical state, that I can see how any person that has gone through it could find it difficult to return to work.

Thankfully I have got myself back in to a position where all I want to be is back working, back to normality and the routine of what my life was before I took ill.

I’m also delighted to be able to say that I have built myself up to a balanced consistency of going out for a run approximately three times a week, most weeks anyway depending on my energy levels. I find it hugely important to ensure I balance my working week with any exercise. My priority is making sure I have plenty of energy for work, however, running is my most loved hobby and it keeps my mind and my body happy, so it’s as important for me to get out for a run, it’s just finding the right balance and tweaking it as I go that keeps me ticking over nicely.

How do you feel about your cancer experience now?

My cancer experience has been a really difficult part of my life, and it’s important to note that it doesn’t just go away after you get the all clear, it’s something you have to continue to work through in different ways on a daily basis going forward. In a way I found that I needed the support of those around me more so after I finished treatment and was discharged from hospital than when I was actually in hospital, as you have been removed from that safety bubble of round the clock care that you were so used to. I found it a bit daunting being sent back out in to the real world to rebuild your life, but like everything, it just takes some time.

Admittedly I do have a certain amount of post cancer guilt and I find that difficult to deal with sometimes. It’s guilt I feel when I see the effect my illness has had on those around me. Obviously it’s not something I had a choice with, and I’m incredibly lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life, but when I see or think about the effect it’s had on them I find it particularly difficult. I don’t think there is a whole lot I can do to make it easier for them apart from being there when they need someone, as they did for me.

My cancer experience is one that I wanted something positive to come from, and one thing I promised to do 14 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

was to try and help others that might be going through a similar situation. One way I thought might help others is by telling my story, the story of a runner taken down by cancer twice but still managed to pick himself back up and get back out running, and so that’s basically how my own blog came about.

I’m also in the middle of organising a big event in aid of the Irish Cancer Society in my home village of Inch in July of this summer. It is an event that I have been planning since I was first battling cancer in hospital. I’ll be honest, when I relapsed at the end of 2016 I started to wonder was it going to end up being a memorial run as opposed to a fun run, thankfully I will be there not only as the race director, but as a participant too.

The event is a family friendly 5k/10k run and walk, I also have a kids dash for the little ones and face painting too, so I’m very excited about it. Most importantly I’m just so delighted to be bringing everyone together for a great event in aid of a great cause. It’s a really positive project to come out of something so difficult, and I can’t wait for it.

Has cancer changed you, if yes, how?

People often say to me “oh you must have such a big appreciation for life now”, and to be honest it’s something that I didn’t like to hear because I always had a huge appreciation for my life before I took ill, for my life, and of course an appreciation for those who I have around me. It got me thinking a bit though, I definitely do

FEATURE

appreciate things more, things we might even sometimes take for granted. I went for a walk in the park recently and at the end of the walk I lay on the grass and closed my eyes, I could feel the breeze blowing and the sun shining as I lay there breathing in the lovely fresh air, something I couldn’t do for so long while in hospital. I had days, weeks, sometimes months on end where I wasn’t able to go outside, to breathe fresh air, even times when I couldn’t see the sky from my room, I would long to be outside, to be free, to be alive again, and now I am, I am lucky enough to be here to go outside and breathe fresh air and be free again, I had to fight hard for it but it was worth the fight.

Go out for dinner, meet friends for a coffee or lunch, spend lots of time with your family, with loved ones, go for a massage, go on holidays, treat yourself, treat others, live for now, live for today, because you never know when it might get taken away from you. The old saying is that you only live once, but the new saying is that we live everyday, we only die once. I stand by that, make the most of everyday!

Have you changed anything in your life as a result of cancer, if yes, what and how?

I’m not too sure about that one because I feel I’m still readjusting to life, to normality, but one thing for sure is that I have come to realise how short life actually is and that you need to make the most of it because you never know when it might be taken away from you. I don’t use the term “bucket list” as I really don’t like it as I feel the word just has an association with death, but I think every day about where can I travel to next, or what I want to do next, whether it’s this week or next year, it’s something I’m often thinking of, things that I would love to do or places I would love to see, whatever makes me happy. I want to live every day and I want to make sure I have no regrets.

What helps you now if you have a difficult day?

My saying is “don’t be alone, get up, get out”. I find talking helps, whether it’s talking about day to day stuff, or something specific that’s bothering you. It’s being able to open up to someone to let it out, whether it’s your partner, family, friend, it helps to just get it off the chest.

It’s being able to say to someone that you’re having a bad day. It’s ok to not be ok, but when we’re not ok I find it important to let someone know, to vent, to make sure we don’t bottle it up.

Importantly, I find I just want to get off the couch and do something productive. I notice that I can get quite lethargic if I just slouch on the couch, more often than not it makes me feel a lot more tired than I truly am, and that really doesn’t help when I’m having a bad day. I tend to force myself up off the couch and do something productive, even if it’s a little job I wanted to get done around the house that’s been bugging me, and when I do something productive it definitely provides me with a little sense of positivity.

Exercise is an important one for me too, getting some exercise in the fresh air really gives me a boost. At the end of the day it’s the simple things that cheer me up, such as going out for some exercise in the fresh air

or meeting a friend for some chats over chocolate and a cuppa. I’m pretty sure we all comfort eat to a certain degree sometimes and I do enjoy it, but I limit it as I find that if I overdo it, I notice that it can have a negative effect on my mental health. Yes I think it’s ok to treat myself to the treats especially on the days I feel I want or need to, but at the same time making sure it’s not too much, as I say, healthy body healthy mind.

I have also found my local Park Run in Tymon Park, Co Dublin to be a very helpful piece in my physical and mental recovery. The Park Run is an initiative where you can walk or run a 5k every Saturday morning around many different parks throughout Ireland, and indeed around the world. I enjoy going down to either walk, run, or volunteer on the day, I find it a great way to get outside, and to meet and chat to other people, I would definitely recommend it as it is for anyone. Don’t be alone, get up, get out.

Single best purchase that helped you through cancer

Honestly I have picked up a number of things along the way, but I would have to say that buying a new laptop with headphones was something I used most. It was great being able to watch stuff on Netflix, play games and just keep me occupied. I treated myself to a number of things while I was ill to help get me through the tough times.

On the one year anniversary of getting the all clear post transplant scan I bought myself a drone which I find really fun, and it definitely puts a smile on my face. I love flying it and taking some amazing pictures and videos.

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FIND A GOAL TO CONCENTRATE AND FOCUS ON FOR AFTER YOUR TREATMENT, SOMETHING YOU WOULD LOVE TO DO, OR SOMEWHERE YOU WOULD LOVE TO GO AND USE THAT AS A MOTIVATIONAL TOOL TO GET THROUGH THE TREATMENT

If you could give one piece of advice to someone recently diagnosed, what would it be?

Find a goal to concentrate and focus on for after your treatment, something you would love to do, or somewhere you would love to go and use that as a motivational tool to get through the treatment, have that “carrot” to look forward to. My girlfriend and I planned a nice holiday for when I was recovered enough after the treatment for some rest and relaxation. I would also make sure to have plenty of little “carrots” to keep you going along the way too.

Don’t forget to talk, to be open, talk to someone whether it be a friend or a family member, perhaps someone who has been through cancer already. I actually find even to this day that talking to someone who has also been through the experience of cancer is particularly helpful as they just know, they know what it’s truly like.

They have so many relatable experiences or thought processes, so I really do find that helpful, and for that reason, that’s what I want to do for people now.

I want to be a person someone can talk to, a person who has fought through the most difficult chapter someone might face in life and come out the other side.

It’s why I write my blog, and also why I have volunteered to be a support person for the Irish Cancer Society, to be available for someone diagnosed with cancer to chat to, and hopefully to motivate or inspire them to look forward with positivity and to never ever give up, as my motto goes, #NEVERGIVEUP. Thank you Chris for sharing your story with us.

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 15

ON THE COVER

FIT FOR LIFE S

arah Ní Riain is 38 and from Clonlara in Co. Clare.

BEACON HOSPITAL CANCER PATIENT In January 2018 she got the news we all hope to SARAH NÍ RIAIN SPOKE TO US never hear - she had breast cancer. Luckily, she had ABOUT THE HOSPITAL’S FIT FOR LIFE found it early.

EXERCISE PROGRAMME AND HOW IT “It was actually Christmas Day when I first HELPED HER GET THE CONFIDENCE noticed something,” Sarah told us when we met TO RETURN TO THE GYM her at the Beacon Hospital recently. “We were visiting family friends and they were big buff lads - one of them gave me a tight hug and it really hurt my breast! Then a second friend also hugged me and it hurt even more. A few days later, the pain was still there and it didn’t seem right.”

Fast forward a few weeks and Sarah was facing a journey that would include chemotherapy, a lumpectomy surgery, radiotherapy and Tamoxifen. Her cancer was Stage 1 and although chemotherapy could perhaps have been forgone, she decided, on the advice of her team at the Beacon, to get through four sessions.

“My oncologist was Dr Jenny Westrup. She is just incredible.

I can’t speak highly enough of her and the rest of the team at the Beacon Hospital. I was very grateful to be able to have my treatment here.”

We met Sarah on a cold day in early April this year, to talk to her all about her participation in the Beacon’s Fit For Life exercise programme. The programme was set up and designed by the Beacon Physiotherapy Department to align with the evidence base and best practise in the area of exercise during cancer. It is now run by Senior Physiotherapist Sarah Wright and championed by Dr Jenny Westrup and her Chief Oncology Liaison Nurse, Jennifer Nestor. The programme is a 6 week course suitable for all cancer patients during and after cancer treatment.

The aim of the programme is to promote the importance of the role of exercise for cancer patients. The latest medical

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research in this area suggests that not only does a higher level of physical activity reduce risk and recurrence of many cancers, in particular, colon, breast, prostate and endometrial cancers, but the benefits for improved outcomes in progression and survival are so significant that the team at the Beacon Hospital are now even prescribing exercise as part of treatment plans.

“At first I was surprised when Dr Westrup prescribed exercise as part of my treatment,” Sarah said.

“But she explained to me that if I exercised both during treatment and afterwards, my chances of recurrence would be markedly reduced.”

Guidelines suggest 30 minutes a day, 5 times per week. “I was just shuffling around the park, but, I was going out most days,” Sarah said.

“In the weeks before my surgery, Dr Westrup recommended I get out for at least an hour every day, to get my heart and lungs working that little bit harder, to help with my recovery time after surgery.”

“My surgeon, Ms Reem Salman, and Dr Westrup were both so encouraging about getting out and getting moving. They kept motivating me about how exercise would help me with the ‘fatigue circle’ - where if you don’t get out and move, you lose muscle tone, you lose energy, you feel fatigued and then you don’t go out because you feel tired - that vicious cycle.”

“From the early days of my treatment at the Beacon, both Ms Salman and Dr Westrup mentioned the Fit for

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Life programme and that I should get started with it.”

“After my surgery, I had radiotherapy for four weeks. It was fine, although I was quite tired once I had completed it. I went back to work part-time and then I started the programme here in January of this year.”

The Fit for Life programme is run once a week at the Beacon in the hospital’s physiotherapy studio. Groups are kept small with a maximum of six participants to ensure each person receives dedicated attention. Each week includes one hour of circuit exercise and 30 minutes of education.

“I have loved it. It’s a gentle approach which takes into account what you are capable of at whatever stage you are at – and builds on that,” Sarah said.

On week one, the lead physiotherapist meets with each patient and discusses their diagnosis, current problems and goals. Exercises are then tailored to each individual.

“I was a very sedentary person and I’d tried a few times to get more active, however, I found gyms really off-putting. I felt like everyone was looking at me and judging me, but that’s probably not even what they were thinking. This programme removed a lot of those obstacles I felt were in my way and gave me the reassurance that I wasn’t going to be doing anything I shouldn’t, given what I had just been through.”

Evidence suggests cancer survivors are keen to receive information and advice about exercise, but they

would like a health professional to deliver that advice and support.

“With a dedicated physiotherapist by your side, checking in every week about any concerns you may have or new symptoms you might have been experiencing - was a great comfort,” Sarah said.

“I would come in and push myself - for me it was a tough workout every week and something I looked forward to. Each session is determined by you and what you are able for on the day, and I liked to give it my all.”

“Sarah, the Physiotherapist, would help each of us to find the right level of exercise for us. For example, we might be doing push-ups, and someone might have been doing theirs pushing off the wall, whereas I would have been doing mine pushing off the bench – you were assisted to find the right level that challenged you and then encouraged to do that.”

Patients keep track of their activity on a weekly basis and aim to progress towards a set of goals.

“Each week then, we were encouraged to move it up a level, and challenge ourselves – see what we could do.”

Once the six weeks are complete, follow-up sessions are provided at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year to record each participant’s progress and help them stay on track with their fitness goals.

“My goal now is to sign up with a personal trainer and do regular oneon-one fitness sessions. I know it will continue to help me with the fatigue that I feel, a common side effect of the

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treatment I’ve been through, and help keep me motivated.”

“The programme has definitely helped me with my general energy levels – I have definitely noticed a difference.”

And the benefits have not just been physical. “It has also helped my mental health. I know that the regular exercise I’ve been getting has triggered other positive changes in my life, physically and mentally. This programme was really good at gently encouraging me to get moving more, not just here in the gym but every day, in my life.”

Also part of the Fit for Life programme are education sessions, provided by the physiotherapy team, hospital oncology dietician, occupational therapist and psychologist, and topics include exercise pacing, healthy eating, relaxation strategies and more. “The talks were really nice and I enjoyed the group setting of them,” Sarah said.

“We would learn from the expert but also from each other as we had the time and space to share our experiences.

The group was small enough to allow this to happen, without it feeling like therapy, although it was therapeutic!”

Another participant of the programme spoke to us on the day we met Sarah. While she did not want to share her name, she talked to us about how she felt the programme really helped her regain her confidence when

I WAS A VERY SEDENTARY PERSON – I’D TRIED A FEW TIMES TO GET MORE ACTIVE, HOWEVER I FOUND GYMS REALLY OFFPUTTING. THE FIT FOR LIFE PROGRAMME REMOVED A LOT OF THOSE OBSTACLES I FELT WERE IN THE WAY AND GAVE ME THE REASSURANCE THAT I NEEDED

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QUALITY OF LIFE. THAT WAS SOMETHING I WAS SURPRISED MY ONCOLOGY TEAM CARED ABOUT. THAT MEANT A LOT TO ME 20 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

it came to simple things, like going out for a walk again on her own. She also found the information sessions really beneficial and a way to share her feelings with others that understood what she had been through.

Any oncology patient can be screened to join the programme, including patients from other hospitals. Participants to date were encouraged to join the programme by their physiotherapist, consultant, specialist nurse or other healthcare professional including GPs. Patients can also join without input from a healthcare professional, often hearing about it through word of mouth.

The programme costs €180 for the 6 weeks and this includes the followup appointments at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year.

To date, over 100 patients have completed the programme at the Beacon Hospital - men and women of all ages and all different cancer types.

One thing they all had in common though? They all rated the course as 100% satisfied and every single one of them had improved levels of physical activity and quality of life.

“Quality of life. That was something I was surprised my oncology team cared about,” Sarah said to us. “When you think about cancer treatment and your treatment plan, all you’re concerned about is getting it done. But my team cared about my quality of life, during treatment and afterwards. That meant a lot to me.”

“Since participating in this programme, I’ve actually gone to the gym. This might not sound like much to the average person, but it was a big step for me. This programme has helped me learn that once I am moving, I enjoy it, I just need to make the effort. Now, my focus is to make sure exercise is a part of my life going forward. As I get busier with work, I’m finding it harder to prioritise exercise, but I know the importance of it now.”

“I think everyone knows the importance of exercise, but it’s not until you start it yourself and you feel the benefits and you get that positivity from just moving more, that you realise how important it really is. This programme helped me discover that.”

For more information on the Fit for Life programme or to sign up on the next available course, contact Physiotherapist Sarah Wright at the Beacon Hospital on (01) 293 6692.

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HAPPY MAGAZINE | 21

A GUIDE TO

SUGAR

+ TIPS TO REDUCE ADDED SUGARS

SUGAR IS A HOT TOPIC IN GENERAL AND EVEN MORE SO WHEN IT COMES TO CANCER. IN THIS GUIDE WE AIM TO HELP YOU REDUCE THE ADDED SUGARS IN YOUR DIET AND EXPLAIN THE ‘SUGAR AND CANCER’ DEBATE

By Sadia Badiei, BSc Dietetics and Summary by Aveen Bannon, Registered Dietitian, Dublin Nutrition Centre

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FEATURE

S

ugar, deliciously sweet but a sneaky little ingredient that’s in a considerable amount of foods! Despite its delicious and innocent taste, excess sugar in the diet is linked to a variety of preventable health conditions. Although it’s easy to label all sugar as “bad”, there are types that, when eaten in moderation, may have nutritional benefits. The key message is not that we need to completely avoid all sugar but that we need to reduce our intake of added sugars.

Types of Sugars Sugar is a type of carbohydrate found in both food and beverages. Once eaten, sugar is broken down into glucose which is ultimately used for energy. In fact, glucose is the preferred source of fuel for both the brain and our muscles.

Natural vs. Added Sugars

When the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that we reduce our sugar intake to less than 10% of our calorie intake, they meant ‘free’ sugars (which are also known as ‘added’ sugars). They specified that they were not including the naturally occurring sugars in fruit (fructose) or dairy (lactose).

Natural sugars These are naturally occurring in foods (i.e. not added). These include the sugars that are naturally occurring in some shape or form in practically all whole fruits, vegetables, dairy and grain products.

Added sugars These not only add sweetness to foods, but manufacturers add them into products to serve various other functions: preservation, texture and mouth-feel, volume, and rich colour resulting from caramelisation. They can be found in: + fizzy drinks + sweetened coffee or flavoured tea drinks + cocktails + energy or sport drinks + many store bought cereals and soups, + desserts such as ice cream or pudding + sweets + cookies, muffins, cakes etc.

+ fatigue: simple sugars can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels, which can come crashing back down making you feel tired and groggy. Complex sugars and carbohydrates break down slower, keeping the blood sugar more stable. + cavities: there is a strong association between sugarsweetened beverages and dental cavities in children, though adults can get cavities just as easily.

Liquid Sweeteners + maple syrup + blackstrap molasses + agave syrup + honey + corn syrup Ultimately liquid sweeteners are sugars, too. They contain about the same amount of calories as white sugar and are generally metabolised in the same way. Some have trace minerals in very small amounts. While we might love to use these sweeteners for their wonderful flavours and consistencies in particular recipes, they should still be consumed in moderation.

Artificial Sweeteners + acesulfame potassium + aspartame + cyclamate + neotame + saccharin + stevia/steviol + sucralose These sugar substitutes are zero- or low- calorie alternatives to the sugar options mentioned above. Many companies use them to market their products as “sugar-free”, “diet” or “no calories”. They are found in many diabetic products because they have little or no effect on blood sugar levels. Some can be made from natural leaf extracts, and some are manufactured.

Most artificial sweeteners are also remarkably sweeter when compared to table sugar, meaning smaller amounts can be used to create the same sweetness level.

Remember sugar has many disguises! Added or ‘free’ sugars are the sugars that are added to a food either in production or by us. These sugars can include table sugar, glucose, sucrose, honey, syrup, agave nectar and more. Once they have been added to the food they are considered a ‘free sugar’. These are the ones we need to reduce in our diets.

Effects of Excess Added Sugars + type 2 diabetes: has been linked to the habitual consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. + weight gain: is connected to excessive intake of sugar.

Having excess weight or obesity increases the risk for chronic illnesses such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and various forms of cancers.

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FEATURE

Considerations with artificial sweeteners

a. conflicting evidence According to the most recent meta-analysis, artificial sweeteners have not been linked to health outcomes such as diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure, certain cancers or dental health. However, according to other analyses, they have been associated with increased BMI and other complications. In short, there are biases and limitations to the studies conducted so far and more research is needed. b. compensating for other sugary foods As a dietitian I have seen that when people consciously know they are having artificial sweeteners with no calories, they mentally feel they can compensate with something that does have sugar later on. This is similar to exercising and then treating yourself with an indulgent food as a result. c. potential GI intolerances Some artificial sweeteners include sugar alcohols, which if consumed in large amounts (say, in a beverage) can have a laxative effect.

10 TIPS TO MANAGE SUGARS

1. REDUCE: For most recipes, you can reduce the amount of sugar by at least 1/4 without noticing a large difference in the taste or texture.

2. SUBSTITUTE: Try using dried fruit, apple sauce, dates or mashed banana to replace some of the sugar in recipes such as muffins or cookies.

3. SPICES & EXTRACTS: Using spices such as cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, and pure extracts such as vanilla, almond or lemon can help give flavour without adding sweeteners.

4. HYDRATE: Thirst is often mistaken for a sugar craving.

If you are craving a sweet beverage, try drinking a glass of water first.

d. can it really trick the brain?

Consuming artificial sweeteners lights up similar regions of the brain in terms of satisfaction, as with all other types of sugar. Therefore, artificial sweeteners may not actually help curb sugar cravings from the root because we still tend to crave something sweet. In fact, one study suggests that we use sweet taste to predict the calories in a particular food. And when our bodies receive these noncaloric sweeteners instead, it realises the discrepancy and continues to crave, and can potentially make you eat even more.

5. SPEAKING OF FLUIDS: Limit fizzy drinks and energy drinks. Try these ideas instead: + jazz up your water by adding sliced strawberries or cucumbers + dilute 100% fruit juice with water to give your water some flavour and cut down the sweetness of the fruit juice

Bottom line: I recommend whole food sources above processed foods including added sugars or artificial sweeteners. There is not enough conclusive evidence to lean one way or the other in terms of long-term health effects. Therefore, if you enjoy the flavour and find you do not compensate for sugar elsewhere in your diet, including artificial sweeteners is likely safe included in small amounts.

7. INCORPORATE FRUITS: If you crave something sweet after meals, opt for fruit instead of sweets, biscuits or cakes: + frozen banana halves dipped in yogurt with a sprinkle of almonds + baked apple pieces with sprinkle of cinnamon + frozen grapes

6. DO-IT-YOURSELF: purchase plain yogurts with no added sugar – you can add your own fresh fruit to the yogurt to give it a touch of sweetness.

8. SNEAKY CONDIMENTS: Condiments can have a surprisingly high amount of sugar added to them. When possible, make your own salad dressings, jams, and spreads so that you can control the sugar.

9. READ LABELS: Spotting the sugar in the foods you buy will help you become a more savvy shopper.

10. GIVE IT TIME, YOUR TASTE BUDS WILL CHANGE: Decreasing your added sugar intake over time will “re-train” your tastebuds to appreciate the natural sweetness of foods.

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FEATURE

&

SUGAR CANCER

By Aveen Bannon, Registered Dietitian, Dublin Nutrition Centre Spotting Hidden Sugars in Ingredient Lists When it comes to the ingredient lists of foods, only added sugars are listed. Granulated sugar is easy to spot in the ingredient list. But, food manufacturers can still add sugar in many other ways. Here are some more common types of sugar that can be added: + dextrose + maltose + molasses + lactose + cane sugar + invert sugar + sucrose + caramel + liquid sweeteners (mentioned above) Hint: any ingredient that ends in ‘ose’ or has ‘syrup’ in the title is likely a source of added sugar.

Advice for your future Health linkages

Excessive sugar intake in the form of added sugar, specifically in sugar sweetened beverage can contribute to an increase risk in weight gain, diabetes, cavities and other chronic illnesses.

“A rose by any other name...”

Sugar can be disguised as many things, and it’s valuable to be able to spot a source of sugar in an ingredient list to know what you are buying.

When you can, go for homemade

You have more control over what goes into your recipes and meals when you are in control of the ingredients.

This allows you to sweeten dishes using food sources such as fruits in place of refined sugars when possible.

Not all sugar is “bad”

Natural sugars from food sources, like fruit, are delicious and have added benefits of vitamins, minerals, and fibre.

Restricting absolutely all sugar from the diet is practically impossible and not recommended.

Sugar has certainly been a hot topic of debate in nutrition in recent years which has led to increasing concern and confusion about sugar in the diet and it’s relation to cancer.

The sugar debate is not a new concept but in 2015 the World Health Organisation (WHO) updated guidelines recommending that ‘free’ or added sugars should be less than 10% of total calorie intake with a view to reducing this figure to be less than 5% of total calorie intake.

Let’s break it down… Sugars come from carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates include starchy foods like potatoes, bread and rice and also refined carbohydrates like sugar and honey. Almost all of the carbohydrates we eat will ultimately be converted into glucose, which is the bodies preferred source of fuel. Glucose is the basic fuel that powers every single one of our cells. If we eat or drink things that are high in sugar e.g. sweets and fizzy drinks, the body converts the sugar into glucose quickly and it gets absorbed straight into our blood ready for our cells to use. With a starchy food like potato the body has to work harder to break it down and convert it into glucose and the glucose will be released into our blood slowly. If there is no carbohydrate in our diet, cells can turn fat and protein into glucose as a last resort, because they need glucose to survive.

This is where the confusion can happen… If all cells need glucose, so do cancer cells. So there was a thought process, if cancer cells need lots of glucose, then cutting sugar out of our diet must help stop cancer growing. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. As all our healthy cells need glucose, there is no way of telling our bodies to let healthy cells have the glucose they need, but not give it to cancer cells.

What we do really need to focus on is taking less added sugars and choosing the healthier forms of carbohydrates in the right portion size. Too much sugar in our diet can lead to weight gain and obesity is a risk factor for certain cancers.

Focus on including lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins in your diet. By choosing healthier foods to include every day and limiting treats, your overall diet will become healthy and balanced. Avoid sugary drinks and drink water with meals.

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 25

FEATURE

L

anguage is fundamental to how we see our lives.

Let me show you what I mean. Read this poem and notice what you feel when you have read it.

Chances are you’ll be feeling pretty rotten. It’s a sad poem.

Today was the absolute worst day ever And don’t try to convince me that There’s something good in every day Because when you take a closer look This world is a pretty evil place Even if Some goodness does shine through once in a while Satisfaction and happiness don’t last And it’s not true that It’s all in the mind and heart Because True happiness can be attained Only if one’s surroundings are good It’s not true that good exists I’m sure you can agree that My reality Creates My attitude It’s all beyond my control And you’ll never in a million years hear me say Today was a very good day Now, starting with the last line of the poem, read upwards, one line at a time.

Now, how do you feel? You might notice feeling uplifted, you might find yourself nodding a bit. This, using the same words, is a happy poem.

Do you notice now the power language has on you?

Language has such power over everything we experience. It creates our experience of the world. And if we want to change how we experience the world, we have to work on the language that we use.

And given that we think in language, our thoughts are words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs. We shout at ourselves, we whisper, we moan, we whinge, we bully, we encourage, we rant, we support, we guide… we exist in our minds through language. So if we are going to create a change in the lives we live, we also have to tackle the words we use, to others AND to ourselves.

One of the incredible things about being human is our ability to think about what we think about. And this is a skill that when we use carefully, can help us develop real power over the life we live. It can help us create the life we want to live. And it can help us create that new normal after cancer comes to visit our lives.

Stick with me. We have to go back to school for a bit for this, but it’ll be worth it, promise.

The Theory

Firstly, we all come equipped with a Negative Bias; quite simply we are programmed with a greater sensitivity to unpleasant news. This kept us safe in the caveman days – we didn’t hang around if someone came shouting that there was a tiger coming. Our brains pick up and remember and heighten bad news. There are also cognitive biases 26 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

MORE THAN WORDS THE LANGUAGE KEEPING US BACK LIFE COACH & BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR NIAMH GAFFNEY WRITES ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY LANGUAGE IN OUR LIVES (mental shortcuts) that lead us to use language absolutes such as Always/Never. This means we notice the negative stuff more, we pay it more attention, and we remember it more. We talk about it more. We dramatise it more. We think about it more. We are naturally inclined to ruminate on it. Negative language is easy to use – we’ve practiced it so much, of course it’s easy. And then you know the way you buy a lovely new white coat and then you start to see white coats everywhere? The same thing happens with negativity. As we spend more time seeing more negativity, thinking about it, imagining it, talking about it, we notice more negative news, seemingly proving to ourselves that our worries are valid and true. And so it cycles on and on, changing our attitudes and ultimately having a serious impact on our mental and emotional fitness, and also on our physical health. All this means that we have to work extremely hard to counteract this negative spin on reality. We have to recognises the biases and look for evidence to the contrary. We have to catch ourselves using negative language simply out of habit. We have to show ourselves that “bad things always happen to me” is simply not a true sentence, and that “I’ll never be good at that” can’t possibly be true, because if we tried it and practiced it, chances are at some point that you will.

Simply opening your mind to the possibility of positive

FEATURE

The Hard Work

And as with all school, there’s also the homework! There’s no point just knowing this stuff, the only change happens when we actually do the hard work. And make no mistake, this stuff is simple. But it is not easy. And it takes a lot of practice. A LOT!

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news, looking for it, talking about it, thinking about it is a great way to challenge those automatic negative thoughts.

Secondly, our minds really struggle with negative commands. Trying to not think of something is a very difficult thing to do, because you have to think of it first in order to tell yourself not to think of it – if I asked you not to think about a white elephant, what’s the first thing you think about? We can tell ourselves to stop worrying for example, and the automatic thing that happens is that all your worries flood into your brain so that you can mentally ‘stop’ thinking about them all. It’s exhausting, so what happens usually is that you worry more AND you have an extra worry that you can’t even stop yourself from a simple thing like worrying. This causes anxiety, distress, inner conflict and gives you an excuse to bully yourself. And this too is a habit of language. We have to notice those negative commands and challenge ourselves to look at it differently. Instead of the command ‘stop worrying’ we could change it instead to ‘there’s a lot going on for me, what can I do to make things easier?’ which takes away the bullying cyclical element and focuses instead on a real lasting solution, one that reduces instead of increases anxiety.

Thirdly, words themselves are important. Language is important. It’s how we communicate, to each other and to ourselves. We are constantly communicating, even if we’re not fully aware of it. Whether we are conscious of it or not, all our thoughts are language. Our thoughts are shouts, whispers, whinges, moans, yells, scolds, orders, praises… they are words. And we hear and feel the impact of every single word. And so the words we use are important. Words have real power and they feed into how we experience the world. They can create our reality and can change our reality. And the amazing thing about words is that we have the free will to choose whatever word we want. Words like Should, Must, Just, But, Sorry impact how we see ourselves, how the world sees us, and have a direct impact on our expectations of ourselves.

Do you apologise where an apology isn’t necessary? (e.g.

“Sorry, could I just say something?” Vs “I’d like to say something, if I may?”) Do you minimise your existence using the words Just (e.g. I just wanted to see if you’d like to go for lunch vs Would you like to go for lunch? ) Do you find yourself doing something you don’t want to do because you think that you ‘should’ do it, or do you find excuses in your language “I’d love to do that but...”

The language we use is so powerful. See how you can take back some of that power, and choose the change you want to see!

SECONDLY, OUR MINDS REALLY STRUGGLE WITH NEGATIVE COMMANDS. TRYING TO NOT THINK OF SOMETHING IS A VERY DIFFICULT THING TO DO, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO THINK OF IT FIRST IN ORDER TO TELL YOURSELF NOT TO THINK OF IT.

1) Notice Spend some time simply noticing the language you use as you go about your day. Notice the words you use. Aim to record these as you notice them, so that you can take a sit back and really see for yourself the perspective and the reality you’re creating.

Do you notice yourself using absolutes? (“I’m always getting things wrong/bad things always happen to me/ you always freak out with new things/I never catch a lucky break/everyone has a great life except me.”) Notice the feelings that come up when you think and talk like that.

As you talk to others and to yourself do you find yourself talking in the negative? e.g. stop worrying/ don’t think about recurrence/don’t be afraid/stop being a wimp. Again notice what happens, what feelings you have, what actions you take/don’t take, what follow on thoughts spring up as a result of this.

Notice the perspective you’re taking with your language – do you find yourself going to the worst possible case? Do you notice a lot of should’s or musts or have to’s? What But’s are you putting in your own way?

Are you ‘Just’ keeping yourself small, or apologising for your existence? Notice how often you use these words in your day to day life. Notice how they keep you small, or put you under pressure, or cause you anxiety.

2) Challenge Next step is to challenge each of these language habits.

Review what you’ve written in step one. And see how you can change each of these as they come up.

You have the power to choose how to phrase everything you say and think.

Practice catching those phrases (whether thought or spoken) and re-phrasing them so that they work for you rather than against you. This is tough, it’ll feel weird. Of course it will. You’ve not done it before. Think about it like putting on a new pair of shoes; they’re never comfortable at first, but the more you wear them the more comfortable they are – the more you do this, the easier it’ll become.

And see what happens next. See the power you have over your own life simply by changing the words you use. e.g. “I would love to go iceskating but I’m no good at balancing” changes to “I would love to go iceskating.

Balancing can be difficult on the ice and I’m nervous about that. At the same time I’m a little excited to try something new.”

Chances are, with the changed focus on language you are more likely to follow it with real action! This is where the small stuff makes the biggest differences.

3) Be conscious of the impact of your words and thoughts Remember when you were small and your mum shouted at you and your siblings and friends to quieten down because she couldn’t hear herself think? You probably ran off and continued the fun and games elsewhere and

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 27

FEATURE

28 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

comes with those words and phrases helps things grow, it is a nurturing energy, it heals.

Things thrive in that energy. Conversely, harsh, bullying negative words and phrases cause things to stagnate, shrivel and rot and die. Let me leave you with one thought on this – if this is what words do to plants, what do they do to me…?

So my challenge to you is this. Choose what you want from life. Choose to see the evidence for that rather than seeing the negative possibilities out of pure habit.

Choose kind words and thoughts. Choose to challenge your ‘normal’ way of thinking.

Choose your new normal, and go after it wholeheartedly. You won’t believe where it’ll bring you!

WE CONSTANTLY HEAR OUR THOUGHTS, WHETHER WE’RE AWARE OF IT OR NOT. AND THIS HAS A MAJOR IMPACT ON HOW WE FEEL, AND CONSEQUENTLY WHAT WE DO ABOUT IT. LISTEN TO WHAT YOU SAY TO YOURSELF, AND ASK YOURSELF HONESTLY, WOULD I SAY THOSE THINGS TO MY CHILD?

“

passed no remarks on your mum hearing her thoughts.

But we all do this. We constantly hear our thoughts, whether we’re aware of it or not. And this has a major impact on how we feel, and consequently what we do about it.

Ask yourself honestly. Listen to what you say to yourself, and ask yourself honestly, would I say those things to my child? Would I say them to my best friend? Would I let someone say those to me? Of course you wouldn’t. Nobody would. And yet we let ourselves be bullied over and over almost unconsciously.

And, it’s not just the words themselves, but the tone of the words that are important. There is so much research to show the impact of hearing kind encouraging love-filled words vs hard, bullying, hate-filled words. Ikea ran a 30 day project with 2 of their plants and found that the plant to which the hate-filled bullying words were spoken started to die, while the lovefilled plant thrived.

Quite bluntly, kind loving words and phrases and the energy that

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POSITIVITY THROUGH CANCER www.happymagazine.ie

Happy Magazine

@HappyMagIE

@happymagirl HAPPY MAGAZINE | 29

SUPPORT

THE UNTIRE APP HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO HELP BEAT CANCER FATIGUE. WE THINK IT’S A REALLY HELPFUL TOOL FOR ANYONE GOING THROUGH CANCER. TODAY, JELLE DAMHUIS JOINS US TO TELL HIS STORY WITH CANCER AND HOW THE APP HAS HELPED HIM.

I

n the summer of 2012, at the age of twenty, I boarded a plane with my girlfriend to make a trip through Vietnam. The rising back pain I felt was not allowed to spoil the fun. After all, a holiday is a moment to recover and relax. Unfortunately little came of that – after three weeks we were forced to return to the Netherlands (where we are from) early because of my severe back pain.

Both the doctor and I immediately thought of a herniated disc; a weak back was in the family. During the prescribed bed rest, however, the symptoms only got worse. After a visit to the hospital, I suffered a major blow: a tumour had developed on my spinal cord.

How was this possible?

At that moment, a lot of thoughts and emotions go through you. I felt a slight panic rising inside. How did this happen to me? Fortunately, a fighting spirit prevailed; after all, I was a ‘healthy’, young and fit guy, I could do this. Soon an operation followed and it turned out that the tumour was malignant. So cancer. That news came in hard like a punch to the gut. From back pain to cancer; where would this end? Or was this just the beginning?

After the operation, I faced 30 rounds of radiation treatment. At this uncertain time, I was fortunate to have support from my family and friends. I was tired, very tired. Activities that used to take no effort at all, now seemed an impossible task. Fortunately, 3 months later, I had a scan with positive results,

30 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

BEATING CANCER FATIGUE

Jelle’s Story

no more cancer in my body. I found a renewed zest for life and, apart from the control scans, I was able to say goodbye to the hospital. After several months of treatment, I could start my recovery.

Ready for the future

After 5 years of good follow-up scan results, I had recovered with renewed confidence in my body. Although I always had complaints, I had come

out of this fight quite well. I completed my studies, made a world trip, started my own company; I was ready for the future! But just when I thought I was sailing through calm waters, another storm was brewing.

In January 2018, after some vague symptoms, another hospital visit delivered life-altering news. I had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. What?

Here I am at 26 years and already two types of cancer, how is this possible?

SUPPORT

Fighting spirit

No matter how disturbing the news, I was determined to overcome the cancer again. Half a year of chemotherapy awaited me, hopefully beating the lymphoma. It was an exhausting period of treatment, which, thanks to a positive attitude and a great deal of support, I managed to get through.

That summer, we took a holiday to recharge our bodies and minds despite an upcoming, nerve-racking test result that awaited. Would the cancer be defeated? Fortunately, my doctor immediately gave the redeeming answer: everything was gone! What an incredible joy and relief. Time to celebrate with champagne and a party the following weekend was planned.

After celebrating this great news, life would soon return to ‘normal’. No one warned me that this would be the beginning of the most difficult period.

Where everyone lived their lives, mine stood still. I had to stop my business during the chemo. What to do next?

As I sat at home, I was bothered not by figuring out what this next chapter had in store but the extreme fatigue

that consumed me. At unexplained moments I was intensely tired. This had a lot of impact on my daily life. Meeting up with friends, or running errands for example, was just too much. It limited me a lot. I was unaware at the time but I was dealing with cancer-related fatigue (CRF) which affects 30 to 40% of cancer patients and survivors.

Energies attract?

I only found out about CRF when I came across a local company here in the Netherlands called ‘Tired of Cancer’. Once I got home I found out that this company had developed the Untire app to specifically address Cancer-Related Fatigue.

Untire is an app that helps you understand what fatigue with cancer is, gives you exercises to reduce stress and gives you tips to improve your energy level and mood. I started using the app right away; this was exactly what I needed! The app is specially made for cancer patients and survivors who suffer from fatigue. Untire was developed by psychologists and researchers specialised in psycho-

oncology with the ambition to help as many patients as possible. Untire is free to download and use for everyone.

Info about the app can be found on the website www.untire.me.

The lessons I learned

Meanwhile my energy level has improved considerably and I am happy to write that I am now also part of the Tired of Cancer team. After not working for months, I am excited to be able to reintegrate back into the workplace. It gives me a good feeling to be able to contribute from my own experience to reducing cancer-related fatigue. Looking back, the periods of illness have cost me a lot but now I have found a way to gain from it.

Through it all, I know how fragile life is, I live in the moment, I appreciate even more what I have and I do work that not only provides purpose but aligns with my passion. I wish this for everyone.

Thank you so much to Jelle for sharing his story with us. For more on the Untire app, visit their website untire.me.

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 31

NATURAL BEAUTY

HELLO

SUMMER

NATURAL BEAUTY

Most people start thinking about sunscreen at this time of year, when the sun starts peeping through the Irish clouds once again.

Technically though, you should be wearing sunscreen every day of the year, sunshine or not, to protect yourself from the UV spectrum. Generally speaking, you should lather on more than you think, about half an hour or so before you leave your house for the day, reapply after swimming, showering or sweating, and avoid the midday sun. Regarding UV rays, it’s the UVA that ages the skin, and UVB that turns the average Irish person into a lobster on those sunny days. Dermatologists recommend wearing a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. There is an informative sheet on sunscreen and the labelling of SPF on the Health Products Regulatory Authority website hpra.ie to help guide you through the general symbols you should look out for when purchasing any kind of SPF, regardless of the type or price of the product you choose.

LOOK GOOD, FEEL BETTER WORKSHOPS Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) is a free service for women experiencing the visible side effects of cancer. They are a non-medical and brand-neutral support service who provide free workshops giving practical advice to women all over the world. Their volunteer beauty experts are dedicated to improving the wellbeing and confidence of women going through cancer treatment.

Programme managers Emily Dunne and Margaret Heffernan work tirelessly to bring these workshops to as many women as possible around the country. So far they have helped nearly 10,000 patients in Ireland, with thanks also to the brands from the beauty and fragrance industry who help them achieve this, as well as other organisations and of course, the many volunteer beauty advisors and fundraisers. Opposite is a list of their upcoming workshops around the country.

32 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

DUBLIN Tallaght Hospital Thu 16 May Thu 13 June Thu 1 Aug

St Vincent’s Private Hospital Mon 27 May Mon 24 June Mon 19 Aug

Mater Hospital Tue 14 May Tue 11 June Tue 6 Aug

GALWAY Thu 16 May Thu 13 June Thu 22 Aug

St James’s Tue 14 May Tue 11 June Tue 13 Aug

CORK Thu 16 May Thu 13 June Thu 15 Aug

Beaumont Thu 16 May Tue 18 June Tue 13 Aug

WATERFORD Tue 28 May Tue 25 June Tue 27 Aug

St Luke’s Tue 28 May Tue 25 June Tue 27 Aug

LIMERICK Wed 15 May Wed 12 June Wed 14 Aug

LETTERKENNY Tue 21 May Tue 18 June Tue 13 Aug KERRY Mon 17 June Mon 12 Aug SLIGO Tue 25 June Tue 27 Aug CASTLEBAR Mon 10 June Mon 26 Aug If you’d like to attend one of these workshops, contact your hospital’s Daffodil Centre.

NATURAL BEAUTY

Najel 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner for dry hair Is your hair dry, dull and difficult to style? Najel’s 2 in 1 organic sulfate free shampoo and conditioner, specially formulated for dry hair, rebalances the scalp. This shampoo combines a mix of plant extracts to leave your hair soft and shiny, including avocado to keep hair moisturised, fig to leave your scalp soft and supple, fenugreek seeds to soften dry and brittle hair while strengthening fragile hair, lime, rich in vitamin C and an anti-inflammatory, and chamomile water, another anti-inflammatory with relaxing properties. This Aleppo Soap Shampoo smooths and moisturises hair fiber. It nourishes the scalp thoroughly and strengthens dry and brittle hair, leaving it supple, silky and shiny.

Your hair will be soft and tangle-free. Its opaque mat bottle, sealed with a yellow flip top, protects its contents from light. This product is Cosmos Organic certified

by Ecocert Greenlife according to the Cosmos standard available at cosmos.ecocert.com. Find it online at vclairenaturalbeauty.ie.

THE RAVEN APP

FASHION + FUNCTION

All women know the power of getting a great blow-dry or manicure, right? It’s a sure-fire way to give yourself a boost when you’re feeling out of sorts. Now you don’t even have to leave the house (or your hospital bed) to get your locks tamed or those nails painted. The Raven App brings beauty services to wherever you are – at home, in the office, in a hotel or even in hospital. This smart business was created by Trudy Hayes – a woman who is no stranger to serious illness or hospitals. You can download the app from the Android or iTunes App Store.

TIPS FOR STYLING HEADWEAR

By Roches

We love the way premium fashion brand MARC CAIN pair headwear with outfits in matching colours, oversize sunglasses and bold earrings

— Opt for colourful and cool headwear and take the bare look away with a little fringe or halo of hair that can be popped under your hat or scarf. This gives a natural suggestion of hair, meaning you can wear regular baseball caps and bandanas, depending on your own style.

— If your head looks a little flat without hair under your scarf, use a shoulder pad on your crown to create a little height. Alternatively, use a scarf to create volume and interest around a hat. You can try layering hats or putting a sun hat over a very fine bamboo turban. The main thing is that you shouldn’t be afraid to experiment and have fun with

your style to give yourself a range of fresh and attractive looks.

— If you want to distract from the head and headwear entirely, accessorise – wear a beautiful necklace so the eye is drawn down. Earrings or a colourful scarf have the same effect.

— If you are wearing a light fabric hat or turban, don’t forget to wear sunscreen on your head. Some hats have SPF built into the fabric, so make sure to ask when you get yours.

— If you’re wearing headwear without any add-on hair, it means your face has no hair to hide behind, so eyebrows and eyelashes are important. Use a brow kit (such as the Brow Kit from Jane Iredale) and eyebrow stencils to create the illusion of natural-looking eyebrows.

— A little eyebrow powder around the edge of your eye also creates the illusion of eyelashes, even if you have none, and gives the face definition. We recommend the Jane Iredale range to our clients. It is a clean beauty brand and many of the products have a SPF, as well as being water-resistant and light on the skin – another plus for hot summer days.

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 33

ADVERTORIAL

T

his year is a big year for us here at Roches.

Our journey as a wig centre in Dublin has come full circle in the past 30 years.

It all started back in 1989 with my mother Maura’s ovarian cancer diagnosis. At the time mam was 47 and working as a beautician alongside my dad in their hair centre here in Kimmage. Dad had just trained as a wig maker and suddenly he was faced with the difficult situation of fitting my mother for a wig.

Mam’s diagnosis was terrifying for us all. It was Stage 3-4 ovarian cancer and her surgeon gave her 6 months to live. We were all shocked, but none more so than my mam, who started to believe herself that she wasn’t going to make it through, until she read Getting Well Again by oncologist Carl Simonton. That changed her outlook and she started to play a very active role in her own recovery.

After two years of chemo, radiotherapy, surgery, daily visualisation and belief work, mam got the all clear. She decided to pack in her beauty career and use her personal experience of hair loss and cancer to help others going through the same. A dedicated wig centre emerged, catering specifically for people with hair loss due to chemotherapy, alopecia or natural hair thinning.

Then in 1998 when I was 30, I was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma on my leg and life changed course again. While at the time I didn’t realise how serious a melanoma diagnosis is, I began to ask myself what I was doing and what I really wanted to do with this precious life of mine.

One thing led to another and I decided to end my 10 year career in social policy research and trained as a wig fitter for our family business. It brought out the creative in me, and reignited the spark I had for working with people. It made me remember how much I had enjoyed interviewing people going through cancer for my thesis all those years before and exploring the power of our own minds and bodies in healing.

What followed then was years learning every aspect of mam and dad’s business before finally taking it over in 2007 so that they could retire. The more clients I saw, the more I realised that women need so much more than just a wig. It was about the entire journey, and feeling positive enough to persevere through.

Over time as we learnt from our clients we expanded the business to include much more than just wigs. We started doing eyebrows and breast care and natural skin and hair products. We wanted to be able to help anyone who came to us to feel positive about their appearance before, during and after their treatment. We strived to go out of our way to find the right wig, the right bra, the right skincare – whatever was needed.

This has all led us to today. Now dad is having treatment for prostate cancer so we’re focused on all things healthy to move him in the direction of wellness.

I’ve trained with the Simonton Centre since the last time 34 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

HOW WE CAN HELP WITH RESTORING YOUR CONFIDENCE

ANNE IS THE OWNER OF ROCHES IN DUBLIN. HERE SHE TELLS US WHAT HER BUSINESS HAS TO OFFER

so I have him doing belief work, daily visualisations and joyful activities.

At Roches, we have been undergoing renovations to our centre spaces in Kimmage over the past few months. We have expanded to include another private wig consultation studio and a private organic hair colour studio. We have also created a large workshop/holistic treatment space where we will be able to hold our Positive Appearance and Health Empowerment Workshops, and invite other like-minded businesses and individuals to come and speak or practice their services.

The last 30 years have been a journey where we have learnt exactly what it feels like to be going through cancer.

We have learnt from our own personal experiences, and from all the many, many clients we have seen in our centre. We have developed our skills and our offering along the way. We have evolved our centre space and our business branding. And now we are very excited to take the next step – opening our workshop space to further enhance what we can offer here at Roches.

It feels like an exciting time in Ireland. More and more people are interested in taking control of their health and their wellness, and especially when faced with a cancer diagnosis. We look forward to completing our own full circle this year with the launch of our new refurbished centre this Summer.

COLOUR & FONT WHY ROCHES? At Roches we understand hair loss from our personal and

colour herbe

the most natural alternative We offer private consultations at our clinic in Kimmage,

professional experience. We are Ireland’s leading hair loss

Dublin 6. Hospital and home visits can also be arranged by

specialists and have been fitting wigs in Ireland since 1986.

appointment.

We are 100% committed to helping you through every

All initial consultations are free and there is no obligation to

stage of hair loss. We will go out of our way to find the

purchase.

wig, hats, brows you need to make this hair loss experience a little easier. Roches offers expert client advice and support in the following areas:

C MYK R E F E R E N C E S C-0 M-0 Y-0 K-50

C-10 M-80 Y-0 K-0

C-0 M-35 Y-95 K-0

C-55 M-80 Y-0 K-5

The font used in the Roches logo is ‘Baloo Thambi’, the soft rounded

Call us in confidence today on 01-492 6829 Email us on info@roches.ie

edges reflect the caring nature of our staff.

24 | R O C H E S B R A N D S T R A T E G Y B O O K

Wig Consultation, Wig Customization and Adjusting, Hair loss Consultation and Advice, Head Shaving, First trim post chemo, HSE Claim Processing, Full Wig Aftercare, Skincare during Chemo, Safe Makeup for Chemo Sensitive Skin, Brows, Lashes and Nails Supplies and Advice.

Some of the solutions we have to offer are:

TruLife Breast Prostheses

HAIR LOSS – WIGS, HAIRPIECES & HEADWEAR“There are 5 generations of

hairdressers in my family with the A comprehensive service for hair we know of opened in loss, includingfirst ansalon experienced Road in 1878.” approach to wig Haddington fitting, finding Anne Roche the right wig for each individual and wig wear tips, as well as other hair solutions like add-on fringes or custom-made hairpieces. We also stock a beautiful, high quality range of stylish headwear from a brand called Masumi which have exciting options for headwear no matter what the occasion, including a special occasion range and a sportswear activewear hat perfect for jogging or anyone involved in physical fitness activity.

ORGANIC HAIR COLOUR – COLOUR HERBE

We offer organic hair colour application in a private setting with a ‘healthier’ hair colour brand called Colour Herbe.

Originating in Italy, Colour Herbe products are based on natural ingredients and have been developed over five generations to particularly restore and protect hair. Colour Herbe uses pigment from herbs to add colour to hair, giving a great result with no ammonia and minimum chemicals and no harming the hair or scalp. We know what a big step hair colour after chemotherapy might be for you and are able to offer you a private space to have your colour done for the first time after removing your wig.

BREAST CARE – BRAS, PROSTHESES & SWIMWEAR

Visit us for FREE EYEBROW STENCILS to help create your perfect brow shape during chemo

We’re really happy with the TruLife range which includes partial, layered, full and swim prostheses and a new prosthesis range called ‘Re-cover’ for people who are going through the process of a reconstruction.

TruLife prostheses offer a very natural feeling and pass our ‘hug test’ of feeling like a real breast. No matter what your challenge is, there is an appropriate prostheses and bra which we can help you find, based on our years of knowledge and experience in this area.

TruLife are also very innovative and always developing new technology – currently they are developing a 3D prosthesis which will be made to fit each individual and we can’t wait to see that come to the market.

FEELING CONFIDENT

A cancer journey does not mean you cannot feel beautiful.

There’s no reason why you shouldn’t look and feel like yourself during treatment. Here at Roches we have so many solutions to all the different challenges you might be facing. We also have special cami tops and cami inserts to create a higher neckline, tankinis and swimsuits that are up-to-date fashion-wise and offer security and special features like tummy panels and pockets for prostheses.

If your wig is itchy, we have a bamboo liner or we have a comfy grip to stop your wig moving if this is a problem for you. If your wig is too thick, we can thin it out. For eyebrows and eyelashes, we can share our best tips and free eyebrow stencils to help you create the perfect eyebrow shape.

We would love to help support you through your experience with our knowledge and expertise. Many of our team have gone through cancer themselves and know exactly what it feels like to be where you are. We’ll help you get your confidence back with whatever options work for you – there really is a solution for every concern.

If you think we can help, please give us a call today on (01) 492 6829. You can also follow us on social media and our blog where we post regularly.

Here at Roches we offer a complete service for breast care too – including bras, prostheses and swimwear suitable for all types of breast surgery and life after surgery. Our experienced team of fitters meet you in a private consultation room, speak to you about your particular needs, measure you and offer appropriate solutions for whatever challenges you are facing.

We work with 9 different mastectomy specialist brands who offer beautiful, comfortable post-surgery bras, prostheses and swimwear including TruLife, an Irish company based in Tallaght who are the biggest suppliers of breast prostheses in the world.

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 35

WELLNESS WARRIOR

TIPS TO TACKLE

NIGHT SWEATS

WELLNESS WARRIOR

1

VIDEO INSPIRATION

Everywhere we look these days, everyone is telling us how to be happy (including us, here at Happy Magazine!). Indeed it is the Great Pursuit we are all after.

However, it can be incredibly powerful to realise that happiness is not a pursuit – rather, it is something we can all tap into, whenever we want, even right now.

In an inspiring short video, YouTube Content Creator Sadia from Pick Up Limes describes exactly how we can do this with some easy cognitive behavioural therapy tips that could help you. To find this video, type ‘Sadia happy’ into the search bar on HappyMagazine.ie.

36 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

Night sweats are a common enough side effect of active cancer treatment and hormone therapy treatments like Tamoxifen and Zoladex. If you are suffering from night sweats, don’t despair of ever having a good night’s sleep again. There are steps you can take to make life more comfortable, like getting a fan, switching to natural fibre fabrics for your pj’s and avoiding eating or drinking foods that can raise your body temperature too close to bedtime.

Breast cancer survivor Natasha Whelehan has written a comprehensive post for us about her own experience with night sweats and the inexpensive and practical ways she tackled them, in a post on the Happy Magazine website. Her tips may help some of you currently going through chemo or starting out on hormone therapy. To find the post, type ‘night sweats’ into the search bar on HappyMagazine.ie.

2

Vicky Phelan came to prominence in Irish public life after she exposed the Cervical Check scandal which involved the mishandling of cervical screening results, leading to the discovery that many women were not informed that their screening had failed to show signs of cervical cancer.

Irish wellness event BEO welcomed Vicky to their stage in April 2019 and have shared the conversation from the day in a video on their website. All in attendance sat in admiration of the hard work and incredible spirit of this woman who has been rightly championed for her efforts.

Watch it on beowellness.ie.

WELLNESS WARRIOR

BRIGHT IDEAS Our Beauty Editor Elfreda McGowan’s favourite tan is Vita Liberata Phenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse in Medium, €43.26 for 150ml. Vita Liberata are based in Ireland, certified organic and, according to Elfreda, perfect for a natural tan look. She finds it easy and streak-free to apply and that it fades very evenly and naturally. You can read Elfreda’s full post about the more natural, ‘clean beauty’ brands for tans in her post on HappyMagazine.ie, just search for ‘tan’ in the search bar on our website.

CREACON WELLNESS RETREAT Nestled in the majestic green hills of the Irish countryside, Creacon Wellness Retreat is an ideal destination for retreat, relaxation and rejuvenation. Originally an historic Irish inn, Creacon was transformed by founders Derek O’Neill and his late wife Linda O’Neill, into a serene haven that nurtures your complete wellbeing – body, mind and spirit. For more information visit creaconwellnessretreat.com.

INGA Wellbeing men’s and women’s clothing brings comfort, confidence and dignity throughout cancer treatment. It’s the perfect fusion of fashion with function - beautifully soft, and designed to look like ‘normal’ home clothes, they are adapted to accommodate all the realities of medical treatment and examination, releasing those wearing them from the hospital gown. Discreet snap-taped seams and inner pockets provide easy access to IV lines, drains, monitors, catheters and more.

The tops, trousers and dresses can be worn as nightwear, or paired with your own tops, trousers or scarves to make the perfect daytime clothing, empowering those undergoing treatment to see themselves, and be seen by others as a person; not just a patient. Available to purchase at ingawellbeing.com.

Since its launch in January 2018, Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s ‘Feel Better, Live More’ podcast has grown rapidly to become the Number 1 health podcast in the UK. Designed to empower you to become the architect of your own health, it regularly tops the iTunes charts, has been downloaded over 2 million times and has almost 2000 reviews on iTunes with an average 5 star rating. A must for anyone interested in wellness. There’s a new episode released every Wednesday. Find it at drchatterjee.com.

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 37

PUZZLE PAGE

MIND FOOD WORD SEARCH

VEGETABLE GARDEN

VISUAL PUZZLE SUDOKU

VEGETABLE GARDEN ANSWERS

SUDOKU ANSWERS

WORD SEARCH/ VISUAL PUZZLE ANSWERS

38 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

Experience Peace & Relaxation

Develop your own practice

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27/08/2018 17:48

WELLBEING

RESTORATIVE

YOGA

YOGA EXPERT RUTH DELAHUNTY FROM YOGARU.IE BRINGS US THROUGH A RESTORATIVE YOGA PRACTICE YOU CAN TRY AT HOME

R

estorative yoga is referred to as ‘the art of accomplishing absolutely nothing but relaxation’. We are so consumed by the idea of constant busyness that doing nothing has become alien to us. Sometimes allowing ourselves to do nothing, and scheduling this ‘nothing’ into our day, is absolutely essential for finding life balance. Another lovely way to think of restorative yoga is ‘our body sleeps and our mind watches’. Although you might find you occasionally drift off to sleep, to get the best out of your practice, the aim is to stay awake by observing the resting body. It is an accumulative practice – over the course of your time on the mat you very gradually start to notice spaces between the chatter of the mind, and glimpses of stillness and peace.

Restorative yoga is beneficial for everybody, particularly if that body has been through recent challenges, physical and mental. One of the main benefits of yoga, restorative yoga in particular, is that through the nervous system it strengthens the immune system. It does this with the breath, which stimulates the vagus nerve, bringing the body into the rest, digest and restore response, or the parasympathetic nervous system. This creates optimal conditions for the functionality of the organs of the body and strengthens the immune system, relieving symptoms of chronic stress, fatigue and tension.

Have you ever wondered why you sometimes sigh when faced with an ominous task? The body is a problem solver, it does its best to help us process internal and external stimuli. Essentially a sigh is a long and audible exhale – the exhale is a powerful antidote to life’s obstacles. Consciously slowing the breath and lengthening the exhale in restorative yoga slows the heart rate and stimulates the all-important vagus nerve.

EXPLORING THE SEQUENCE

Set yourself up with all you will need, and more, before you get started (see the list of props below). The body will cool down quickly so layer up and stay warm. Unlike regular yoga this is a socks on, stay cosy, practice!

The poses are created to give you complete support but we are all very different. There may be certain parts of your body that are healing, and need an alternative position, or extra blankets and

40 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

cushions. You will be holding the poses for between 5 to 10 minutes so scan down from head to toe and ensure every part of your body is happy. If after a few minutes you start to feel discomfort move to find comfort again. You are the boss of your practice!

Before you move out of a pose think about the idea of moving first, maybe even work out what would be the kindest and gentlest way to move to the next pose. Thread the poses together with gentle awareness to maximise the benefits of your time on your mat. You can use your phone to time when you need to move to the next pose, or you can use your instinct if you don’t like the idea of being disturbed with a sound. If you choose to use your phone set the alert to a soothing sound like ‘chime’ or ‘pulse’.

PROPS ARE KING

Props are king in restorative yoga, the more the merrier! You don’t need to have an array of official yoga props. You can improvise with household items that can do just as good a job. The props you’ll need for these restorative poses are – a bolster, or use two stacked cushions; two yoga bricks, or two thick dictionaries; two to four yoga blankets, or regular blankets.

START WITH THE BREATH

Start your practice in Resting Savasana with your knees resting on a bolster and a blanket over you. Place your hands on your belly and feel the breath move through you. Take four to five rounds of Viloma breath – inhale for a long breath, and then exhale pause, exhale pause, exhale pause – dividing your exhale into three sections. Keep the breath as gentle as possible, notice if you are holding any tension in your shoulders and upper chest when you concentrate on the breath. Pause after your rounds and observe any change to your body and mind. As gravity and the weight of your body draws you down to the ground, feel the ground come up to support you as you melt into your practice.

Opposite are six Restorative Yoga poses for you to choose from.

Pick as many or as few as you’d like to practice. Some of the poses may not suit you at this particular time if you are healing a specific part of the body. This may be a pose that you revisit in the future and can be a benchmark to your progress.

WELLBEING

No.1 - RESTING SAVASANA

Start lying on your back with a folded blanket under your head, a bolster under the creases of your knees and a blanket over you. Legs and arms extended, palms facing up, lift your buttocks and slide the flesh of the buttocks downwards. Feet gently flop out to the sides. Shoulders melt to the floor. Eyeballs become heavy in their sockets, skin on the forehead smooth as silk. Soften the temples and find ease in the tiny lines around the eyes.

No.2 - BOLSTER TWIST

Place your bolster vertically along the left side of the middle of your mat. From lying, with a blanket under your head, extended both legs out along the mat and roll your hips to your left, bend your right knee and place it on the support of the bolster, left leg remains extended. To feel this twist let your upper body and right shoulders settle down onto the mat. Bring your arms to cactus position, with arms lifted and elbows bent either side of the body, gaze over your right shoulder. If the twist is too intense, add a folded blanket under your knee on the bolster. If the raised arms doesn’t suit you, bring your arms either side of the body, palms facing up. Repeat on the left side.

No.3 - HIP OPENER

From lying, with a blanket under your head, lift your hips up and place the bolster horizontally under the creases of your hips. Lengthen your legs out straight and bring your arms to cactus position, with arms lifted and elbows bent either side of the body. If this is too intense a stretch on the lower back, use a rolled up blanket instead of the bolster. If the raised arms doesn’t suit you, bring your arms either side of the body, palms facing up.

No.4 - BLISSFUL BANANA

Make a pillow with a brick and a blanket on top of it at the top of the mat, place an additional brick above this at arms reach.

Place your bolster horizontally on your mat with a space between your bolster and pillow. Sit with your right hip next to the long edge of the bolster, knees bent.

Lengthen the spine along the mat and nestle the bolster into the curve of your waist. Place your head on your pillow, your shoulder in the space between your props and extend your right arm forward. Extend your left arm overhead and place it on the brick. If the raised arms doesn’t suit you, bring your arm down and place it on your right arm. Repeat on the left side.

No.5 - SUPPORTED BRIDGE

From lying, lift your hips up and place the bolster horizontally under your hips. Settle your hips down onto the support of the bolster. Knees bent, feet hip distance apart or feet mat distance and knees together. Arms extended either side of your body, palms facing up.

No.6 - SUPINE TWIST

From lying on your back, bend your knees and place your feet hip distance apart. Gently let your knees drop to the left side of your mat. Extend your right knee away from you. Bring your arms to cactus position, with arms lifted and elbows bent either side of the body, gaze over your right shoulder. Stay here for 5 deep breaths and swap to the other side. If the raised arms doesn’t suit you, bring your arms either side of the body, palms facing up.

End your practice with at least 10 minutes of Resting Savasana.

Bring your attention to the breath again, as you inhale, think ‘this is me now’, and on your exhale, tell yourself ‘this is the same me in the outside world’.

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 41

TRAVEL

TRANQUILLITY &

COMFORT The Summerhill House Hotel and Rainforest Spa is a perfect weekend escape just outside Dublin, writes Holly Kennedy.

E

verything about the Summerhill House Hotel and Rainforest Spa was easy. Finding it, just off the M50 near Enniskerry, a forty minute drive from Dublin, was simple and fuss-free. Arriving, parking and checking in was smooth, with everything easily accessible and not much walking involved.

A comfortable home away from home, the Summerhill House Hotel is a tastefully decorated country house, each reception room beautifully furnished, scrupulously clean and The Summerhill House Hotel filled with little details like soft cushions, candles and fresh flowers.

After a warm welcome from the Reception team, we were sitting down to lunch in the relaxing surroundings of the Drawing Room less than an hour after leaving Dublin. What a wonderful start.

We came to stay at the Summerhill House Hotel to experience their Rainforest Retreat – an overnight wellness package which includes lunch in the hotel on arrival, an afternoon of relaxation and treatments in the Rainforest Spa, an evening yoga session, dinner, accommodation and breakfast, as well as a morning pilates session. We could not wait – it was just what we needed after a busy few months and we were ready to hand ourselves over to the experts. And experts they are – as two guests who have both been through treatment for breast cancer in the last three years, we were coming to try the Rainforest Spa specifically because of their reputation in the particular area of spa treatments suitable for those living with or beyond a cancer diagnosis. The Rainforest Spa were the first spa in Ireland to launch a range of Cancer Aware treatments a number of years ago.

Rainforest Spa Owner Adrienne Stewart spoke to us during our stay about how important it was to her personally to create a spa that could provide treatments for people experiencing cancer – with close friends affected by cancer, she knew first-hand just how difficult it can be to find a hotel and spa that is aware of the different needs of someone who has been on this journey.

42 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

The Drawing Room

TRAVEL

WE WERE COMING TO TRY THE RAINFOREST SPA SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF THEIR REPUTATION IN THE AREA OF SPA TREATMENTS SUITABLE FOR THOSE LIVING WITH OR BEYOND CANCER.

The Wellness Studio

The Whisper Lounge On arrival in the Spa, we filled in a short questionnaire and then were shown to the changing rooms. We put on our swimwear and popped out to the hot tub on the balcony deck outside - on a cool, misty day, it was lovely to sink into the warm bubbles and admire the Powerscourt views around us.

A short while later, our spa treatments were delivered by expert therapist Emily, trained in cancer massage techniques and as well as this, wonderfully in tune to our needs. Also a volunteer at Purple House Cancer Support

Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow, she was so incredibly warm and caring in her manner - absolutely the right tone and taking her lead from us as to how much we wanted to talk or not to talk during our treatments.

We had neck and shoulder massages with light pressure and added on some extra treatments each – an Indian Head Massage, and Foot Massage for my friend and an Eyebrow Shape and Hand File and Paint for me.

After our treatments, we relaxed in our dressing gowns in the beautiful relaxation room, just sitting quietly, admiring the view, reading, whatever we wanted to do. It was a cold day in April when we visited so we did not sit outside, but the relaxation room or Whisper Lounge as it is named, opens out right onto a wide balcony near the hot tub, where you can really take in the countryside views.

Overall we were delighted with the Spa. It was a very comfortable, caring experience. We were able to feel very relaxed and at home. The team here are all about making your day as lovely as possible. As well as treatments, the relaxation room and hot tub, there is an Infrared Sauna and a traditional Swedish Sauna too.

That evening we made our way to the new Wellness Studio next door to the spa for our evening Yoga class. Again, we were impressed – this new studio is a serene space with enormous windows looking out at the spectacular views. The Yoga was great and we left feeling incredibly loosened out and relaxed. We certainly felt like we floated back to the hotel to get ready for our evening meal.

My overall impression of this hotel was one of comfort and tranquillity. Our overnight accommodation was wonderful - our room had everything you would expect, including a bathtub and room service menu. We stayed on a Monday night and the hotel was silent overnight - we both had a great sleep before our morning pilates class. Would I return? Absolutely.

The Summerhill House Hotel and Rainforest Spa is a perfect weekend getaway close to Dublin. If you are looking for somewhere for a luxurious escape, somewhere you can avail of spa facilities and treatments and be confident of the team’s skills with cancer concerns, and even participate in yoga or pilates while visiting, this is the place. rainforest.ie

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 43

TRAVEL

VALERIE MURPHY, A MASTECTOMY FIT SPECIALIST BASED IN THE MID-WEST OF IRELAND, SHARES A UNIQUE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE SHE HAD WITH WOMEN GOING THROUGH TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER IN VIETNAM.

I

n December 2014, my family were very lucky to travel to Vietnam for two months.

My husband Finbarr had the opportunity to work at a Vietnamese university. We were very excited to have this adventure with our children, who were aged seven, five and three years old at the time.

We were staying in the city of Can Tho, which is south of Ho Chi Minh City. Almost as soon as we arrived, we fell in love with the city and its people.

The Vietnamese people are the most friendly people I have ever met. They are just constantly smiling and seem very happy in their lives.

Through Finbarr’s work at Can Tho University, he was introduced to medical workers. A very nice Australian doctor, Julie, was one of the group and she became friendly with our family. Julie had lived in Can Tho for some time and was working at the local hospital in Oncology.

I told her about my work in Ireland, where I had a mastectomy fitting service and she immediately offered to introduce me to Dr Trung who was over the Breast Clinic in Can Tho Hospital. I was delighted as I was very interested in finding out about the supports Vietnamese women had after going through surgery.

Dr Trung and I met for coffee. I immediately liked this young doctor

AN ADVENTURE TO CAN THO,

VIETNAM

My favourite photo of the day was the one above, of the women eating lunch together in the outdoor area of the hospital. It shows happy people supporting each other.

44 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

who came from the countryside of the Mekong region. He had been working in Can Tho Oncology for a number of years and it was very obvious to me, how passionate he was about his work and how much he cared for his patients. He spoke about the women and he told me how little they had but that he hoped for things to improve with Government support.

The hospital relied on outside support and had recently received a new x-ray machine, donated from India. Dr Trung also told me that along with others, he had been involved in setting up a Breast Cancer Group. I told him that I had trained in America as a mastectomy fit specialist and set up my mastectomy service in the midwest of Ireland only the year before, in 2013. He was very keen for me to meet his patients at the hospital and asked me to talk to them about life for women in America and Europe who had gone through breast cancer. I couldn’t refuse.

I worked on a presentation and a few weeks later I felt privileged to

meet Dr Trung’s patients at Can Tho Hospital.

The objective of my presentation was to inform the women about the post-operative care we have in Ireland and also of the care in the USA, which I also had knowledge of. Dr Trung stressed to me that he really wanted me to convey to the women that wherever we are in the world, we have the same concerns and thoughts once we are given a cancer diagnosis. I also felt this was important and agreed to bring it into the presentation. With the help of a translator and many slides, I hoped to give a few ideas to the women in Can Tho.

THE DAY OF MY PRESENTATION

The meeting was scheduled for 7:30am on a Saturday morning. Everything begins early in Vietnam. I arrived at 7:15am and I walked into a room full of people. I was taken back by my own emotions. I didn’t realise how emotional it would be for me. The

TRAVEL women greeted me with hugs and kisses. It was really lovely. I was nervous because of the language barrier. I had only two words in Vietnamese, xin chào and cảm ơn bạn (hello and thank you). I was immediately reminded how important body language is. Smiling, nodding and shaking hands can make a better connection between people than any conversation. I had seen this already with my own kids playing with Vietnamese kids during our trip and at their Vietnamese school. The women were very welcoming.

Twenty three women came along, some from the city and some from the villages situated along the Mekong.

A number of the women (dressed in white) were current patients, in the hospital. A few family members attended, including one husband who hoped to learn something for his wife, who had just undergone surgery the day before.

I was introduced by Dr Trung and I gave my presentation, which I hope helped in some way. These women did not receive government assistance. If they did not have private health insurance, then they had to pay for their treatment. If they could not pay, then they were not treated. I wanted to give as much information as possible on products we use, hoping the women could take some inexpensive ideas with them.

We talked about the differences and similarities between the different countries. I measured each woman and I promised to send mastectomy bras and accessories as a donation from my service, Valerie’s Breast Care.

Dr Trung showed me around the hospital afterwards.

Conditions were not so good. Two or three women had to share a bed. Many women were on temporary beds in the corridors. The hospital staff had to work with a small amount of equipment and space.

However as I walked through, I met some of the women from the breast cancer group that had been at my presentation and it was very obvious that they had a great camaraderie among each other. There was a lot of laughter and definitely a bit of craic.

When I got back to Limerick, I sent over the package of mastectomy bras with accessories and they were so grateful. Dr Trung and I are still in contact. We send each other greetings every New Year and I hope someday, I get to visit Can Tho and the breast clinic again.

Valerie with Dr Trung and his Oncology colleagues from Can Tho Hospital.

going through breast cancer. It makes the world so much smaller when I see that we are all the same, wherever we live. We still have the same concerns and thoughts. Supporting each other and being kind to each other means everything.

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Post Breast Cancer Surgery Fitting

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WE ARE ALL THE SAME

I often look back on the photos and think of these women and how supportive they were to each other. Having had this experience in Vietnam, with these wonderful people, I have since then looked up mastectomy shops, visited and got detail on what other countries provide women

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Some of the women in the Breast Cancer Group. The group was formed by Carolyn Taylor of Global Focus on Cancer. Carolyn gave me some advice on my presentation to the women.

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SUPPORT

BACK TO WORK AFTER CANCER

MALWINA KING IS A DIRECTOR WITH SIGMAR RECRUITMENT IN DUBLIN. WE SPOKE TO HER RECENTLY ABOUT HER ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO IS THINKING OF RETURNING TO WORK AFTER CANCER.

Can you give us a description of the current recruitment market? What are conditions like currently?

We are currently in a very busy recruitment market. This means that there are plenty of opportunities on offer and a large variety of jobs within most industry sectors.

In some specialist areas like IT, Science or Professional Construction, to name a few, demand outstrips supply and employers are struggling to secure a qualified workforce.

If you are planning to start your job search soon, this should be music to your ears.

Not only are there more opportunities to choose from but many employers have become more flexible when it comes to working arrangements like length of contracts, working hours or flexi benefits.

The key is to navigate through all that information and select what suits you best at the current stage of your career and your life and go for it!

This is where the assistance of a trusted recruitment partner like Sigmar might be beneficial. A good recruiter will listen, get to know you and help you to see the wood from the trees when it comes to job titles, duties of the role, a company’s culture and future career path.

Is it a better paid job you are after? Is it an easier commute? Perhaps more training? Or less demanding working hours? We all have very busy lives these days and sometimes we don’t afford ourselves the luxury of sitting down for 15 minutes and thinking about our own needs and plans. This little exercise helps to zone in on what we really want and why we want it. At the same time it will help recruiters present you with the most suitable options in the most efficient manner.

2 – Keep track of your job applications Know job titles and names of companies you send your details to. At the beginning of your job search create a ‘Job Application Sheet’ and write every application down.

You don’t want your CV arriving multiple times to the same business. This looks bad and is not professional.

3 – Stay positive Nothing beats a positive attitude and enthusiasm.

Candidates with the best skills can seem less attractive when they interview in a monotone voice and without conviction. Energy, upbeat attitude and a smile will often carry your abilities further.

What general advice are you giving currently to new candidates who come to your agency looking for work?

What specific advice would you give to someone who is looking to re-enter the workforce after cancer?

Here at Sigmar we take a very individual approach to our candidates and the advice we provide is very specific to the person we work with. After all, it’s their career, future development and often a life decision that we are supporting them with. Saying this there are also some good tips that are applicable to anyone who is considering looking for a new role:

Firstly, take your time and get physically and emotionally ready. You have just been through one of the most difficult experiences in your life so make sure that you’ve given yourself enough time to feel as well as you can. Don’t rush in. An extra few weeks won’t make a difference in the long run but might help greatly in helping you feel confident and ready.

1 – Please brainstorm before we meet In order to benefit the most from a recruiter’s knowledge, have a good think about what you want prior to the meeting.

Think what type of work you’re looking for and know what you want to achieve by securing new employment.

Don’t let the past define your future While you have been through an extremely difficult experience, you shouldn’t let it define you. You were a skilled, experienced and valued contributor to a team prior to your illness and you should continue to feel like one and be one after your return to the workforce.

46 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

“

YOU HAVE JUST BEEN THROUGH ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT EXPERIENCES IN YOUR LIFE SO MAKE SURE THAT YOU’VE GIVEN YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME TO FEEL AS WELL AS YOU CAN

SUPPORT

Build back your confidence See what you DID to date and CAN DO going forward.

Focus on the positive. Think of any achievements you had in your career to date. Think about what skills you must have to be able to accomplish your previous tasks/ deadlines/projects.

Show energy and enthusiasm They always help when starting your job search.

Be prepared Be prepared to briefly explain why you had to take some time off work. But also, be truly prepared to enter workforce again. Know in advance how many hours a week will you be happy to work, think in advance if you need additional time off for follow-up medical appointments, re-think even simple things like your commute to work, school runs or other daily activities that you hope to combine with work.

What would you advise someone to say on their CV to address the date gap of a period when they have not been able to work due to their illness?

My number 1 advice for all CVs is to keep it simple and clear.

Nobody should feel awkward having a gap on their CV due to an illness. We didn’t choose it, we were faced with it and dealt with it to the best of our abilities.

Write your CV with a specific type of job in mind highlighting your most relevant experience. It’s your experience and skills that are stars of the show and this should be your focus.

Do not try to hide time that you were unable to work.

Instead address it in a clear and professional manner as a career break or leave of absence and be prepared to provide further details when asked.

Your CV is not a place for lengthy explanations and also you will do a much better job explaining it yourself face to face when at an interview.

How would you advise handling the subject of a previous illness with a potential employer? Would you advise to bring it up, if so, how and when would be most appropriate?

You definitely should be prepared to answer the question.

As mentioned earlier this is nothing you should try to hide. It happened in your life, so you should address it.

Most employers will be completely understanding.

At the same time, you don’t want your illness to define you. Your SKILLS, EXPERIENCE and ATTITUDE should be 3 things that are deciding factors in how your new/potential employer sees you.

Explain – ‘’I made a difficult decision to leave my job due to medical reasons. Now I am delighted to be back, feeling good and ready to re-enter the workforce again!’’

A lot of people returning to work after cancer have concerns around confidence, concentration and fatigue.

How would you advise them to handle these with a new employer?

Most people who want to return to work after a long or shorter career break, regardless if it is health-related or not, need a little boost of confidence. It’s important that people who experienced cancer don’t feel like they are the

only ones that feel like this, as they are definitely not!

It helps to think and write down a “what am I good at” list. It might have been a while, so you might have forgotten but please make an effort and write down a few bullet points. What did you enjoy doing in your last role?

What was your proudest achievement? Or maybe you completed a particularly demanding project or met a tight deadline?

Write your list, read over it several times and add another point or two, you’ve achieved loads, you just need to dig them out!

When it comes to concentration and fatigue only you and your doctor can advise on this.

In many cases it might be a good idea to look at less than a 40h working week, in order to ease yourself in. It could also be a good call to look for contract work to start with. This way you will get a chance to try a new work arrangement for a few months and see how you feel.

But at the same time if it feels good, there should be nothing stopping you.

Malwina King is a Director of Sigmar Recruitment, a leading Irish recruitment services company comprised of 140 recruiters in 14 specialist divisions covering all industries and sectors across offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Tralee. We are very grateful to Malwina for taking the time to write this piece for us and hope you may find it helpful.

Sasha Roche Kelly RGN, Grad Dip Oncology MSc, Grad Cert ANP MLD Therapist

Lymph Specialist Clinic

Specialising in Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) A natural treatment to treat lymphoedema, lipoedema, lymph related disorders, pain, stress and the removal of toxins and excess fluid from the body.

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INTERVIEW

A day in the life of an

Oncology Nurse Antonia Tierney is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in St James’s Hospital, Dublin

I

am from Offaly and trained as a nurse in St James’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin. I have worked in Oncology since 2008 and I am in my current role as a clinical nurse specialist in breast and genitourinary cancer for 6 years.

Describe a typical day for you

The cancer pathway is lengthy and often very complex, an important part of my role is to ensure that patients navigate through their treatment journey efficiently and are supported throughout. Each day as a nurse in the oncology service is different; much of my role is reactive and therefore cannot be planned. I carry a mobile phone and my contact details are provided to patients and their families when they enter the medical oncology service.

My contact details are also provided to community services such as GPs, public health nurses, palliative care teams and social workers to name a few. On average I will receive up to 20 calls a day, a great deal of time is spent answering these calls, prioritising them and managing unwell patients who are at home.

A typical day starts at 7.30am: I check my emails and phone messages and deal with anything that needs immediate attention, I will prioritise the remaining messages and aim to deal with them throughout the day.

The treatment clinic in the Oncology Day Ward starts at 8am. On average 120 patients and their relatives attend the Haematology Oncology Day Unit daily. My role in the clinic is varied. I meet newly referred cancer patients to our service, I run nurse-led clinics, I support patients receiving bad news and deal with queries or situations that may arise. Following clinic I follow up on issues that arose, catch up on voicemails, etc.

I also attend multidisciplinary team meetings, ward rounds and provide education to staff.

How does it feel to be an oncology nurse?

After I qualified, I worked in an inpatient medical ward 48 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

for a few years. I always had an interest in Oncology so I completed a post graduate diploma in Oncology Nursing and a year later I began work in the Oncology Day Ward as a staff nurse.

Oncology is an ever-evolving field in Medicine and there are many developments in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, therefore Oncology is a very interesting and exciting area to work in. Currently St James’s Hospital are collaborating with TCD to develop a National Cancer Institute and it is a very exciting time to be involved in cancer care.

What does it feel like to work in St James’s Hospital?

St James’s Hospital is a great hospital to work in with lots of career and promotional opportunities for its staff.

Continued professional development is encouraged and supported, I am given the opportunity to attend national and international cancer conferences to ensure I am providing the highest standard of care to my patients.

I completed a MSc in Nursing in 2017, which was fully supported by my work colleagues and the Director of Nursing.

The Haematology Oncology Day Centre sees on average 600 patients a week and I am exposed to many different cancer pathways.

What do you find most rewarding about your role?

I like that no two days are the same and I work with fantastic people. Patients and their families always amaze me at how they manage their cancer journey. I enjoy building supportive relationship with my patients as they go through their treatment pathway.

What do you like most and least about your job?

I love working autonomously as a nurse, providing specialist knowledge, proactive case management and psychological and emotional support to patients with

“

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS DOES GET EASIER WITH EXPERIENCE AND YOU LEARN THAT AS A NURSE IF YOU ARE EMOTIONAL IN THESE SITUATIONS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE BEST CARE FOR YOUR PATIENTS

INTERVIEW

the support and advice of my medical colleagues easily accessible if needed. As I mentioned I work in a busy oncology unit and although I specialise in breast and GU cancer, I am exposed daily to a vast range of cancers and treatments, the learning opportunities that this provides is endless.

A difficult part of the job is dealing with people’s expectations of the health service and what we can provide and what I as a nurse can provide.

Not being able to spend as much time as I would like with some patients and their families is always difficult to accept.

repeat the same information repeatedly, my advice to these patients is to pick one family member or friend to attend appointments with them and disseminate the information to the rest of their support group.

Another important tip is to never compare your diagnosis or prognosis to that of another patient as you are most likely not comparing like to like and may cause yourself unnecessary concern.

If unsure always call, never sit at home wondering if you are sick enough to attend the hospital and never feel silly asking questions.

There must be a lot of occasions in your role that are very emotional, how do you handle them?

Working in Oncology gives me a good sense of perspective in life, it sounds cliché but it really does remind me to enjoy life and make the most of every opportunity that comes my way. Indirectly I am reminded daily by my patients not to sweat the small stuff.

Something I have learned from my patients which I try to incorporate into my everyday life is that a smile and a kind word is powerful.

A great part about my job is that I get to meet and interact with people from all walks of life, daily I pick up life tips, some trivial and some not so trivial, from patients ranging from recommended travel destinations to how to how to clean an oven with lemon juice, recently I was privy to a very interesting conversation about screen printing and what it involves.

Yes it can be emotional but dealing with difficult situations does get easier with experience and you learn that as a nurse if you are emotional in these situations you will not be able to provide the best care for your patients. Dealing with a patient of a similar age to myself can be difficult for many reasons, one being that I am faced with my own mortality. However I do feel well supported by my colleagues and there is always someone ready to listen if I need to talk about a difficult case or indeed a difficult day.

What tips would you give to someone newly diagnosed with cancer?

Patient and family members often apologise for being visibly upset about their diagnosis, the first thing I tell them is that it is ok to be upset, it’s ok to cry, it’s a very normal reaction. Both men and women often tell me they feel silly being worried about how cancer and the treatment will impact on their body image, they feel that these are trivial concerns in the grand scheme of things, I always reassure patients that it is perfectly normal and ok to be concerned about things such as hair loss, skin changes and fluctuating weight to name just a few.

Patients may feel overwhelmed by all of the support from their friends and families, it can be difficult to

What have you leant about life from your patients?

How do you like to relax after work? What are your hobbies?

I love music, all types of music from traditional Irish music to Indie rock. I love to travel around Ireland and abroad to different genres of music festivals.

I have recently taken up photography which is something I’ve always wanted to do and I am enjoying my slow but steady progress.

Happy Magazine would like to thank Antonia for taking the time to answer our questions.

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 49

LET’S TALK your questions answered

GOT A BURNING QUESTION BUT NOT SURE WHO TO ASK? CLARE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP. You can email Clare at cbtforcancer@gmail.com

I

am a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist at cbtforcancer.com with 10 years experience, and I specialise in cancer. I myself had breast cancer in 2017 and again in 2018. I look forward to answering questions relating to anxiety, selfesteem and lifestyle. I had a prior corporate career in HR and Consulting and will be able to answer wider problems too and I will be drawing in other experts to help answer these questions, so it’s not just my opinion on the page! Whatever your cancer question or problem is, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

SHOULD I TELL MY CLIENTS? I am due to start chemotherapy in a week and I have been told by my Oncologist to expect significant hair loss, which I’m fine with. The trouble is I am not having much time off work and I am in a client-facing role, which means I’m attending meetings and also trying to bring more business with new clients into the company. What is your opinion on whether I should tell my clients and do you think I should get a wig? Orla Hi Orla, thank you for your question, as it’s one I think a lot of Happy Magazine readers can identify with.

The short answer in my opinion is no, don’t tell your clients and yes, get a wig.

But it would be unfair not to justify that opinion.

I worked in many a client facing corporate role, before I switched in my thirties to CBT, and feel well-placed to answer this question. The unfortunate

50 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

aspect of this situation is judgement.

You will be judged in all sorts of ways by your clients if you tell them you have cancer. At the end of the day, your clients are looking for you to be reliable and to follow through on what you are promising them.

Some, sadly, may think you won’t be reliable because of your diagnosis and you won’t be able to meet their expectations on delivery and quality.

You say in your longer email that you have a delivery team behind you that delivers the work required by the clients and that is great to hear you will have their support. They are your clients, that you have won and will win, because you convinced them to sign on the line to win their business, so not telling them protects your reputation and your company’s too.

Because you don’t deliver the work, as your team does, your clients don’t need to know about your health, as that is a personal matter, particularly as it won’t compromise the quality of delivery.

A wig is important for client meetings if you don’t tell them about your diagnosis. You can get a wig before chemotherapy starts and cut your hair in the same style as the wig style to go under the radar when you eventually start wearing a wig. One tip, go for a shorter style of haircut if your hair is below ear length or longer.

This way when your hair starts falling out it won’t be so messy on your clothing, a tip I learnt the hard way!

Once you start dropping hair and it is disappearing fast, go for an even closer crop, ‘GI Jane’ style, so your wig fits perfectly. For more information on choosing the best wig for work see my article www.cbtforcancer.com/cbt-forcancer-blog/how-to-choose-the-bestwig-for-work. Best of luck with it Orla.

SHOULD I TELL MY DATE I HAVE CANCER? I am a 31 year old and in the dating scene. I have stage 1 prostate cancer and the treatment plan is fairly swift, plus there is a statistically high success rate, so I am confident of success. The problem is I don’t want to tell anyone that I am currently dating, because I don’t think it’s an attractive chat up line!

What should I do? Callum Hi Callum, I think you have a great attitude on kicking this cancer into touch! As you point out, the treatment plan is swift, in which case, have you considered taking a break from the dating scene until the treatment is over? After the treatment ends, you can assess, on a ‘need to know’ basis, if your date is worth telling.

When things get serious, and it starts to become a longer-term relationship, you morally need to consider telling them then in order that they can make the decision on whether to continue the relationship. Think of cancer as a litmus test of a person’s character, if they stick with you regardless of the cancer you are on to a winner, if they run a mile then good riddance, their loss your gain.

You mentioned in your longer email that you aren’t having a prostatectomy but you are having radiotherapy and hormone therapy, which brings up another consideration. If you have a sexual relationship in the future your sperm production may be affected, as I am sure you are aware. You may have to consider your long-term future by banking some sperm in a specialist clinic to produce your own children, and, in which case, whoever you enter a relationship should be made aware of any fertility issues you may have after treatment.

Keep up the positivity Callum and here’s to a successful outcome!

Further resources on Prostate Cancer are available from cancer.ie

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SHORT STORY

THE DRIVING SEAT

By Victoria Lawlor

S

usie listened to the song playing on the radio. It was some modern one that she had never heard before, but it was catchy and she tried to hum along. Her hands tapped out the drumbeat on the steering wheel, getting faster and faster as the chorus approached.

She reveled in the freedom of having her own car at last, being able to choose herself what radio station she could listen to.

Before, it had always been whatever station had the news or sport on. She liked current affairs as much as the next person, but you couldn’t beat a good tune to lift your mood.

Especially on a Monday morning.

The lights changed and she moved forward slowly, still getting used to the gears and the independence of being the one in the driving seat for a change. Behind her, in the rear view mirror she could see the driver behind gesturing impatiently. She’d seen similar angry faces behind her many times in the past week. People were just so impatient these days she thought, he will just have to wait like everyone else.

Unfortunately, the lights turned red before Susie had a chance to pass them, so she slowed the car to a complete stop.

While stationary, she took the opportunity to reapply her signature Ruby Too lipstick.

Susie had always liked red lipstick, but didn’t wear it until recently, having been brainwashed and told repeatedly by her husband that it was, ‘only for the young ones’. She was very impressed to find this particular shade in the local chemists as it matched the colour of the car she was driving almost perfectly. She took that as a sign that the lipstick was for her. The nagging voice of criticism that had been a constant hum in her life for as long as she could remember was slowly being silenced as her own self confidence grew.

“

THE NAGGING VOICE OF CRITICISM THAT HAD BEEN A CONSTANT HUM IN HER LIFE FOR AS LONG AS SHE COULD REMEMBER WAS SLOWLY BEING SILENCED

Susie loved cars and this one in particular was fast becoming her favourite. She could almost feel the envy off some people though as she drove past them. A brand new, top of the range cherry red Ferrari… with Novice plates on it. Not many new drivers would have such an exceptional first car. Then again, Susie reasoned with herself, not many new drivers had waited until they were 50 to pass their test. Or actually been allowed to take it, she thought sadly to herself.

She saw the man behind her again reflected in the car’s mirror.

He was taking animatedly and she guessed he must be on his mobile handsfree. He looked really agitated and was obviously speaking quite fast. She couldn’t hear what he was saying of course, but it looked important. She really hoped that she hadn’t made him too late for where he needed to be. He stared impassively back at her and shook his head while tapping at his arm where his watch was. She got the message. He was late and it was clear that he blamed her for not making it through the lights earlier.

As the traffic lights changed again, Susie moved through the gears, feeling the pressure from silver car behind to hurry. It really was a waste having such a beautiful car she thought when she could nearly walk as fast. The traffic was diabolical most mornings, but it was one of the perks of the job being able to drive any car she wanted.

Recent events had made her realise that she could do anything if she put her mind to it. That included driving any car she wanted. She was now in charge.

She heard a loud beep of the horn and a screech of tyres. Suddenly in a flash of silver, the car that was behind, was now parallel to her, but on the wrong side of the road. His passenger window was down and she could hear him hurling abuse at her. By the time Susie had worked out how to open her own driver window all she caught was “You stupid old woman driver!” She was glad she didn’t get to hear any more expletives as he sped past her in a rush.

So this is road rage, she thought, absurdly pleased with herself.

Most people would have been very rattled by such an encounter, but not Susie. In fact there was very little that she let bother her now.

She felt light and free. Her secretary back at the office said it was like Susie had “happy pills” and she often asked where she could get them. This made Susie chuckle. The only pills she took were vitamins for her bone strength, nothing fazed Susie Gannon. She had seen and experienced more in her 50 years than people would ever be aware of and this had ultimately made her a stronger person now she was out on the other side.

As she travelled the last few kilometres into work, Susie began to relax into the comfy bucket seats as the car moved effortlessly along

HAPPY MAGAZINE | 53

SHORT STORY

...continued and hugged the tight corners of the road. Most people in the village knew The Gannon’s by reputation, but very few actually knew her face. She’d hardly been allowed out of her house on the hill for the last 25 years of her married life. Well that had certainly changed now, she thought.

Gathering from the looks that she was getting driving the beast of a car through the sleepy village of Temperley, everyone and their dog would know who Susie Gannon was before the week was out.

As she pulled into the garage forecourt, she reversed into the reserved parking spot. Thankfully her driving skills had improved a lot in recent months from the shaky start she had outside her house on the hill. She had learnt how to reverse properly for her test and was very impressed with this new skill. As she got out of the car she looked at the green and gold metal sign screwed on the wall. “Reserved for Derek Gannon of Gannon Motors”. It looked arrogant and pompous, just like the person who had put it there. She would never have had such an ostentatious sign, but that was her husband for you. He had parked his beloved Jag here for as long as Susie could remember, but not anymore.

This space was rightfully hers. She made a mental note to get the sign taken down as soon as possible. She closed the car door gently, marveling at the engineering of the vehicle as the door came to a slow close, as she walked towards her new empire.

“Morning Susie,” said Gemma. Susie smiled back at her and threw the Ferrari keys to her trusted secretary.

“Would you drop them back to Tom for me and get him to recommend me something else from the forecourt?” she said. “I might take a more low-key model home with me tonight!”

“Sure thing Boss,” said Gemma, wondering if she would ever be allowed to bring such an expensive car home for a spin herself. “Oh, by the way, your 10 o’clock is here.”

“Let him wait, I need my coffee first, I’ve had an eventful journey here.” Susie quickly filled Gemma in on the earlier road rage incident as she sipped the steaming mug of black coffee. She let the caffeine work its magic and began to relax.

After a few minutes, Gemma took the mug off Susie, even though it wasn’t finished. “I’ll make another one later,” she said as she stood up. “Let’s not forget your ten o’clock. He’s already left a voicemail for you apologising he was late,” said Gemma, “I don’t think you should keep him waiting any longer.”

Susie went in the private entrance to her office, through the ‘escape route’ as she liked to call it. From the garage showroom, the door looked like the entrance to a storage cupboard. It was another way in and out of the main office. Derek used to like to use it when he would sneak up to staff on the forecourt to listen in on the sales pitches.

Susie just liked it because it was a quicker way to her office from the main entrance. She didn’t feel comfortable yet walking in through the glass double doors. She expected that would come with time.

She’d already read the CV back to front already. The Head of Sales job at Gannon Motors was a highly sought 54 | HAPPY MAGAZINE

after role and a brand new position. Derek would never have hired a Head of Sales. In his time, he liked to keep the Sales staff on the same title and same basic pay, regardless of how good they were or how long they had been there.

He paid them commission on sales, so the cream did rise to the top eventually, but sometimes Susie thought the competition was too fierce. Derek would have said that a job title like Head of Sales would make someone sound too important and make them take their foot off the gas. He liked to use car analogies as often as he could. He viewed himself as the most important person in the garage. Derek wouldn’t have liked the changes that Susie had in mind.

This new Head of Sales role was just the start of them. She felt comforted that there was nothing he could do about her decisions anymore.

Susie had learnt from bitter years of experience to no longer judge a book by its cover. Derek seemed to be caring and loyal. Well, that was the early years, she reasoned. The years before his eye had started to wander and his fists started to pummel. The last few years of their marriage had been tough in more ways than she cared to recall. She was glad that period of her life was over now.

Derek’s sudden death due to a hit and run, close to their house, had been a surprise in the community, but not to Susie. To her it was a relief. That fateful night was the first time Susie had driven a car, but she vowed it would not be her last. Focused on escaping, she had reversed at speed, instead of putting the car into first gear. There was a loud bump and then total silence. There were consequences for that action. Consequences that baffled the police but gave Susie freedom at last. Inheriting the garage had been an unexpected bonus. One that kept her occupied and gave her a purpose.

Susie checked the time, it was ten past ten. She didn’t like to start things late but she was the boss as she had to keep reminding herself, she could do exactly as she liked. She smoothed down her black dress and tucked a strand of her grey bob behind her ear. She’d shortlisted the applicants CV’s down to three. This guy looked the best on paper, he had some experience in the motor trade at a rivals’ garage and he seemed to be ambitious and doing well from what she had heard. She knew Gemma would bring the applicant the long way round so she would get a chance to see them approaching through the frosted glass at the front of her office.

A prompt knock at the glass door signaled that he was outside. It was unnecessary really as Susie could see their outlines through the obscured glass, but she appreciated the sentiment all the same. She stood to greet him as Gemma opened the door. Their eyes met before their hands could shake. An infectious grin spread over Susie’s face and she stifled a schoolgirl giggle.

His face registered confidence first, then surprise, shock and embarrassment all within a few short seconds. His face turned a strange shade of puce. “So lets find out what you really think of stupid old women drivers shall we?” said Susie, as she welcomed him into the office. She had spent her life being controlled and now she was in the driving seat. This was one interview she was really going to enjoy.

“

SHE’D HARDLY BEEN ALLOWED OUT OF HER HOUSE ON THE HILL FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS OF HER MARRIED LIFE. WELL THAT HAD CERTAINLY CHANGED NOW, SHE THOUGHT.

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