By Anna O'Donoghue
RTÃ presenter Teresa Mannion has opened up about her battle with breast cancer to urge people to âpick up the phone and make an appointment for a mammogramâ.
The mother-of-two discovered she had a small tumour of the most aggressive form of cancer, triple-negative (TNBC) after a routine mammogram.
Speaking to this monthâs special edition of the RTÃ Guide, Teresa revealed that as she had no tell-tale signs of cancer she just ignored her letter from Breastcheck offering her a free check.
This week we have turned PINK! 20c from every issue sold will be donated to Breast Cancer Ireland! #rteguidepink pic.twitter.com/rZBtJZbg3t
— RTÃ Guide (@RTE_GUIDE) October 3, 2016
It wasnât until a friend of hers was getting a mammogram and she was âoverwhelmed with guiltâ and made the decision to book one. It was there they detected a tiny tumour, what she calls "a dot of cancer".
âThere was no medication I could take. I didnât even know there were different kinds of breast cancer and now I was diagnosed with the worst kind. I will never forget the words of the breast surgeon, Professor Michael Kerin, who broke the news to me.
âHe said: âYou have a guardian angelâ and those words stayed with me through the subsequent months.
âWe have caught this early so you will be fineâ.â
Teresa, who jumped to fame during a weather report on storm Desmond last Christmas, went on to say that her main concern during chemotherapy was losing her hair.
âI had heard all the horror stories about chemotherapy but all I could think of was hair loss,â she said.
âI know itâs weird but losing my hair was the worst thing because you really identify with it. My hair had started to fall out in clumps so that you feel like this shaggy dog with hair everywhereâ.
As October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, the weather reporter stressed that she âdodged a bulletâ and would hope that people learns from her story.
âIf it even gets one person to pick up the phone and make an appointment for a mammogram, then it will be goodâ.
