‘Out the Other Side: Stories of Breast Cancer Survival’ showcases real Irish women
Cancer survivors Evelyn O’Rourke and Chef Domini Kemp today launched a new exhibition which highlights how advances in treatment are enabling more and more women to survive breast cancer than ever before. ‘Out the Other Side: Stories of Breast Cancer Survival’ is a collection of individual real–life stories and photographs of Irish women who have survived breast cancer. The exhibition was developed to offer encouragement to other breast cancer survivors and women living with the disease in Ireland. The installation which has been developed by Roche in partnership with the Marie Keating Foundation, will be installed in St Stephen’s Green Park in Dublin for the duration of October, which is breast cancer awareness month.
‘While life-changing and scary, a breast cancer diagnosis today is not as fatal as it was fifteen years ago,’ said Dr Cathy Kelly, consultant medical oncologist, the Mater Hospital, Dublin. ‘Our understanding of the several diseases that are breast cancer has enabled us to treat it more appropriately and effectively, leading to better outcomes for patients.’
According to the Marie Keating Foundation, there are currently over 28,000 women in Ireland who have beaten breast cancer. But surviving breast cancer doesn’t mean the end of the journey and, for many, what happens after breast cancer is a challenge in itself. ‘The prospect of rebuilding your life after something as significant as cancer can be daunting. But with the right support and information, the experience can provide a renewed sense of life and purpose, enabling people to cherish special life moments that at one point may not have seemed possible. All of the women featured are living proof that it is possible not only to come out the other side of a breast cancer diagnosis, but to thrive and grow after it,’ said Liz Yeates, CEO of the Marie Keating Foundation.
The exhibition features the stories of ten women and their experiences, with each story comprising three elements: a shared personal experience of surviving breast cancer; a photograph of each survivor as they are today; and a photograph which each of these women feels represents their ‘survivorship milestone’, essentially, what surviving breast cancer has meant for each of these women.
‘It took a good six months before I started to think that maybe I would come out the other side of cancer. I started to feel that this horrible nightmare would finish the day I finished radiotherapy. And it did,’ says Deirdre Morrissey who was diagnosed at the age of 36. ‘Now, it’s all about the kids. As long as I’m here to see them grow up, that’s enough for me.’
Speaking at the launch of the exhibition, General Manager, Roche Products (Ireland) Limited, Sheri Morin said: ‘We are so proud to be part of this initiative. Our hope is that this campaign and the stories shared will be a source of comfort and hope to women at various stages of their cancer journey. We hope they will encourage others to seek help and support to understand how cancer may have affected them and give them the tools to rebuild and enjoy their lives. Sharing your cancer story is a deeply personal and sometimes difficult thing to do. We would like to express deep and sincere gratitude to all ten women who so graciously shared their stories and their very personal ‘survivorship milestone’ photographs.’
The striking photography taken for the exhibition was captured by acclaimed Irish photographer Gerry Andrews, whose personal experience of cancer drove him to get involved. ‘I lost my wife to this devastating disease 11 years ago – if she had been diagnosed today, the chances are that with the huge advances in research and development of new medicines, she would come out the other side. I wanted to contribute in whatever way I could to highlight the issue. Three of my late wife’s sisters are also survivors of breast cancer and I myself am currently being treated for a very rare blood cancer (multiple myeloma). I felt I could identify with the many challenges faced by woman who receive a breast cancer diagnoses and was pleased to be involved in this campaign.’
