Seán Dorgan turned 60 years old in 2011 and was enjoying life. He had retired from full-time work but had a rewarding mix of interesting part-time roles. Early in 2012, out of the blue, Sean started having chest spasms, which lasted about 10-15 minutes. After about 6 weeks of these spasms, he talked to his GP and he was referred for an Endoscopy. Within a fortnight the consultant booked him in for a CAT scan ‘in case it was cancer’. A day later, on Good Friday 2012, Seán left the hospital with the diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. He googled the term and instantly regretted it - the prognosis was horrendous. Apparently only one in five would survive for five years.
Thankfully Seán survived and is back to having an excellent quality of life because of the medical care he received including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
'Before my own scare I had known nothing about oesophageal cancer. There had been no cancer history in my family. As many people know, being told one has cancer is really scary. Since then, I have been happy to get involved, help and share my experience with some cancer charities including Breakthrough Cancer Research who are doing great work.
Researchers are seeking to better understand the causes of cancers, the ways in which they can best be treated, and how quality of life can be improved for those in treatment, in remission and in recovery. I benefitted from that knowledge. I was cured. My hope is that many more will be too.'
As part of our ‘Cancer Conversations’ series, people with a personal experience of cancer, either themselves or through a loved one, chat with some of the amazing researchers we are working with.
Seán met with Dr. Melissa Conroy, of Trinity College Dublin, to hear about her work on a component of the immune system, natural killer cells, to better attack oesophageal cancer. Dr. Conroy, leads a research team and her work is funded by Breakthrough Cancer Research through our wonderful partnership with Five For the Fight (Qualtrics EMEA).
To learn more or support Breakthrough Cancer Research visit www.breakthroughcancerresearch.ie
Негізгі бет Seán Dorgan and Dr. Melissa Conroy in conversation about Oesophageal Cancer
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