My 24 Month Roller Coaster Ride
To my family, friends, and anyone else reading this… I am sharing my story openly and honestly with the intention of spreading awareness through my new Facebook page ‘Doinitfor’. I hope that by doing this I can somehow make a difference. This is something I’ve become very passionate about and wanted to do since my recovery in 2014. Unfortunately I’ve had a few set backs since then including being caught in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal that claimed the lives of 8800 people and most recently being diagnosed with breast cancer. Some say I’m a cat with 9 lives but really I’m just an everyday girl riding this crazy roller coaster we all call life. I recently heard the news of a friend who has been diagnosed with cervical cancer and straight away I thought to myself, maybe I could have prevented this had I have shared my story sooner.
By using social media I hope to educate everyone and most importantly our younger generation. My mission is to create a hub where people can come and talk about their experiences, find information and understand the importance of being proactive. This deadly disease has claimed the lives of so many and has touched all of us in one way or another. I have created an account on Instagram and Twitter @doinitfor so check it out.
My goal is to start an annual charity run for my own cause ‘Doinitfor’. Obviously this will be when I’m strong enough to enter it myself and cross that finish line. I also hope to start a motorcycle donations ride one day in the future! Yes I have some really big ideas in the direction I want this to go, however I’m a little out of my league at this stage. Hopefully by making this step things will start to fall into place. I have a website under construction, where I hope to have a donations section to help these dreams become reality. Im also hoping for a section where people can donate scarves, head gear, wigs and anything else that may help those in need.
Please if you think you may be able to help in anyway, let me know. Together we may be able to get the ball rolling and get this off the ground!
My Message to you all:
FIRSTLY… Ladies, If you’ve never had a Pap test or its slipped your mind/been a few years, get on the phone right away and book yourself an appointment. This can save your life! Ladies and gents, know your bodies, if something changes see your GP. This can save your life! If you haven’t heard back from your Dr about any type of results, chase them up, call them back until you have your answers. This can save your life! If your to busy to attended an appointment or anything regarding your health, cancel, nothing is more important. This can save your life! Get to know your family history, ask questions, do a family medical tree. This can save your life. If you’ve been advised by a professional that somethings okay but your still not certain, go with your gut, go back or seek a second opinion.
THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!
My Story
On March 2014 at the age of 30 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. At that exact moment it was like the floor opened up and swallowed me hole. Just hearing that word “Cancer” made me feel like my entire life was over. I was so scared of not knowing what was to come. After more tests, endless scans and appointments we were told I had caught it early. As I was faced with loosing my reproductive organs through a radical hysterectomy reality really started to set in that I may never be able to have children of my own. This meant placing my surgery on hold to be fast tracked through a round of IVF. In May I had my operation and woke up from a 5 hour surgery to the good news that the tumour had not spread, meaning a radical hysterectomy was not needed and only the tumour, cervix and surrounding tissue had been removed. I now have regular Pap tests every 3 months for 5 years to ensure everything is ok.
During my journey through cervical cancer I was also having countless ultrasounds and biopsies done on my breast over a worrying lump. I was assured I had nothing to be concerned about and this was only lumpy dense breast tissue. When one lump developed into two late last year I pushed for another ultrasound referral from my GP. Late September 2015 I was told the devastating news I had breast cancer. I could not believe what I was hearing. We were totally unprepared for the news and I couldn’t believe my luck. Again more testing, appointments and scans to determine exactly what we were dealing with. We then sat down with the breast surgeon and I was advised I had two aggressive tumours but thankfully this was caught early and had not spread to my major organs. My only option to reduce the risk of this spreading was to have a left mastectomy and full auxiliary clearance immediately. This entire appointment was such a blur, I kept thinking… why is this all happening to me again? The results came back from my surgery confirming 1 out of the 12 lymph nodes removed tested positive to cancer.
November 20th 2015 I began Chemotherapy. My treatment plan is 6 rounds every 3 weeks followed by radiation. After round one I’d already lost my hair, this just goes to show how potent this stuff really is. Ive just had my 5th Chemo last week and this has been by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through. This has knocked me for a six especially over the last 8 weeks. I now have more bad days than good and cant wait for this all to be over. I feel like a human pin cushion, I’ve had every scan under the sun, PET, MRI, CT, BONE, HEART, more than once. My hospital admission list is growing by the day. I’m bald! Yes bald, but hey I’m alive and still here fighting the fight. I’m tired of being tired but thankful theres light at the end of the tunnel. Im one of the lucky ones who has the chance to fight back and kick cancers butt!
I’m ‘Doinitfor’
My Dad – Diagnosed with a rare lymphoma in 2014, still fighting strong today with the all clear.
My Aunty Mychel – Who passed away to her strong never ending battle in September. Rest in piece you beautiful thing.
My Niece Steph – Who was sadly taken from us in 2004 to a very rare cancer rhabdomysarcoma. Its not fair, she was only 3.5 years old. We miss you everyday.
My Uncle Jimmy – Who lost his battle and passed from bowl cancer.
My Nan – Who I never had the opportunity to met. She passed away from leukaemia aged 39, before I was born.
My Aunty Betty – Who won her battle to breast cancer over 30 years ago and still soldering on!
My Aunty – Who underwent surgery for cancer of the uterus. All ok now.
My Uncle – Who has recently been diagnosed with non hodgkin’s lymphoma. We got this!
My Cousin – Who recently finished her chemo and fought the brave fight through her breast cancer.
Please like and INVITE your friends to the page to help spread the word. By liking the page your not only stay up to date, but you can help me by the sharing the information to your friends. Filling our timelines with life saving information not just cat videos. We can all make a difference here. Social media is a powerful tool, so like, invite and share, share and share so this reaches out past my circle of friends and yours too. Let it spread through our communities to raise much needed awareness. Who will you be ‘Doinitfor’
Kirsten Mccreghan
#doinitfor
2020 update:
Since my cervical cancer diagnosis, I was then diagnosed with a Breast Cancer in 2015 and tested positive to BRCA1. When my cervical journey started I had to freeze my eggs. I am in a gay relationship and my partner carried my embryo that we harvested at the started of my cancer journey! We now have a beautiful little boy Orlando Sol who is 19 months old.