Aileen supports 100k in 30 Days Fundraiser after going through her own cancer journey

Back in 2013 Angelina Jolie announced that she had undergone a mastectomy, a surgery to remove all breast tissue from her breasts which reduces the risk of getting cancer.

The tough decision was taken by the actor due to her testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, something which put her at an extremely high risk of getting either the breast or ovary forms of the disease.

This would have been the first time many of us would have heard of BRCA1, but for one Louth family the effects of this gene had been taking a toll on their loved ones for as long as they can remember.

Aileen McGeough, who works in the Home Bakery in Dundalk has been affected by cancer ever since she was a young child, with her mother passing away as a result of breast cancer at the age of 33 and her aunt due to ovary cancer.

As a result of those deaths they have known from very early on that there was a possibility that the effects were hereditary, more so when their generation was affected by the disease when the daughter of her aunt passed away from breast cancer at the age of 33 as well.

“We were always aware of it but I wouldn’t say I was worried about and we never really threated over it” recalled Aileen when speaking about how she and her sisters reacted to their family’s situation.

“I suppose from my late teens, early 20’s I’d have been very vigilant of going to the doctor or touching base with a consultant regularly. I used to go along with my older sisters, maybe just tagging along for the day out in Dublin at first.”

“I even started going to see one an annual basis for a couple of years before I ever found out I had the gene. We were just aware of it, we didn’t worry about it or have any sleepless nights, it was just about remembering to be vigilant about it.”

It was this vigilance that saw her and many of her cousins go to get tested for the BRCA1 gene and out of the 10 woman who were tested seven of them came back positive including Aileen.

That news came in 2006 and a year later, just like Angelina Jolie she took the brave decision to have a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery, reducing her risk of getting breast cancer from 85 percent to five percent which in her mind was a no brainer.

“It was too much of a risk to take, I could live without breasts so I didn’t spend a long time thinking about my options, I knew once I found out I was carrier of that gene what I was going to do and it was just about finding the right surgery and whatever would work best for me at the time.”

Aileen has been lucky enough to build a huge family over the years, bringing four children into the world in the space of five years.

She had alleviated the risks of getting breast cancer but was still conscious of the risks from ovarian cancer, having seen her aunt pass away from the disease.

It was with this in mind, with their work done that she made the decision to remove her ovaries, happy to end that chapter in her life despite having to endure some side effects as a result.

“I had four children already, I knew that I wasn’t going to have anymore and that my ovaries had done all I asked of them, so it was time to say good luck and thanks very much to them and it was as simple as that.”

“My baby was six months old when I went to have that surgery, so I suppose you had the onslaught of early menopause which was medically induced, and your body hasn’t prepared itself for going through this, but you just deal with that every day and there is certainly people a lot worse off.”

Through her journey the support of her sisters and cousins has been a keen factor, with all of those testing positive for the BRCA1 gene also deciding to lower their risks of health problems down the line by removing their ovaries.

Their constant support of one another, along with continuing to look on the bright side of things has been a major way that all her cousins have come through their families struggles with cancer over the years.

“We’re a huge support to each other I must say, there is constant banter which is always light-hearted, there is never anything too heavy in our conversations it is just about seeing the bright side of things in life and the funny sides of things, trying to make a laugh of stuff.”

Aileen has been telling her story as a result of becoming an ambassador for the 100k in 30 Days Breast Cancer Ireland fundraiser organised by Blackrock couple Niall Carroll and Cara McAdam.

The national event launched last month is a fun initiative, aimed at casual strollers, keen walkers, joggers and seasoned runners and is open to everyone from ages one to 100.

People are invited to walk, jog, run or cycle a total of 100km during the month of June to help raise funds for Breast Cancer Ireland, with last year’s event raising €1.3million.

This year’s fundraiser is sponsored by Sherry Fitzgerald and there will be over €30,000 to won by signing up to event.

“I’m so proud to be an ambassador and I’m delighted to have this platform to tell our family’s story and keep Mammy and my aunties memory alive as we are their voice now” stated Aileen.

“I got my little ones involved and it helped create conversations in my house in the last couple of weeks that I never really brought up with the kids because they are just too young, but it doesn’t have to be a taboo subject.”

Registration for the event is available at www.100kin30days.ie, costing €25 for an adult and €15 for a child with every entry receiving a pink t shirt to show off when out and about doing the challenge.