Julie Scates (42), from Castlereagh, who lives with her partner Steve Richie, has BRCA 1 and has advanced cancer. She has three children, Courtney (24), Cameron (18) and Leah (12). She says: “I was diagnosed with stage 4 primary peritoneal cancer (PPC), a form of ovarian cancer, when I was 39. It ha...
Debra Rice (44), a legal secretary from south Belfast, is a BRCA 1 carrier. She is married to Philip (47) and they have a daughter, Emma (8). She says, “My dad’s two sisters died at a young age from breast and ovarian cancer so I’ve been attending a family history clinic at Belfast City Hospital for...
Joanne Clarke (39) from Newry has BRCA 2 and has had a double mastectomy. She is married to Adrian (43) and they have two daughters, Anna (12) and Ellen (9). Joanne is adamant that more research into the condition is needed and urges people to help Cancer Focus NI raise cash for this important cause...
Christine Garrett (29) from Lisbane, Comber, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2011. When she discovered she had the BRCA2 gene she opted for a double mastectomy. Here, she tells her courageous story. “I was working as a nursing auxiliary in the Belfast City Hospital Intensive Care Unit and h...
Belfast mum Kylee Murphy wants to alert other young women to the signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer in September – thyroid cancer awareness month – after getting a shock diagnosis earlier this year. The 29-year-old has just completed her treatment and is waiting to find out if it’s bee...
