When Christine Garrett was told she had breast cancer at the age of 27, she refused to let her life fall apart. Even when she was at her sickest, she continued in her role as an officer in her local Boys Brigade, and tells LAURA MURPHY how with their support - and that of staff at the Ulster Hospital - she won her battle
FOR Co Down woman Christine Garrett, Friday nights fulfilling her duty as an officer in the 1st Ballygowan Boys Brigade was one of the greatest pleasures in her life.
And she when she was diagnosed with breast cancer last May - at the age of 27 - she was determined that this would not stop her from looking after and spending time with the young boys under her charge.
“It was normality,” the auxiliary nurse, who works in the intensive care unit in the City Hospital in Belfast, said of her involvement with the organisation.
“It was the one part of routine and normality that I could keep.”
And Christine proved to be so inspirational to everyone else involved in 1st Ballygowan, and indeed the entire Ards Battalion, that this year a group of boys from the Battalion took part in the Belfast Marathon, raising £4,573.39 which was donated to a cause of Christine’s choice - the Macmillan nurses at the Ulster Hospital, who provide support and care for her. The money will be used to provide complementary services to cancer patients.
“The officers and over 18s did the relay, two officers ran the full marathon, and the 12-16 year-olds from 1st Ballygowan took part in the Fun Run, along with the assistant minister from Ballygowan Presbyterian Church and two officers,” says Christine, who had to undergo a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
“I was standing with tears in my eyes as the boys ran past me. It was a very emotional day and I was very proud of them. The support was amazing, both from my own Company and the entire Battalion, and I carried on with my duties as an officer all through my treatment.”
Christine, who is from the Lisbane area, between Comber and Killyleagh, admits that finding out she had cancer at such a young age came as a major shock.
“I was only 27 so it was a big gunk to the system,” she says.
“You think it is never going to happen to you. I thought I would cope but I didn’t. I thought I was on my own, but then I met Karen (Karen Kelly, Macmillan nurse) and she was able to guide me through. I couldn’t praise the doctors and nurses enough, but Karen treats you as a whole person, and that was very important. Karen arranged counselling, different groups for me to attend and also supported my family.”
She adds: “I can honestly say if it hadn’t been for Karen I wouldn’t have got through this. The support she gives is immense and I would encourage people to use the Macmillan service.”
Christine says that she can recall coming home from work one day before she was diagnosed and noticing a lump on her breast that didn’t “feel right.”
She allowed her mother to examine it as well, and they made an appointment to see her GP.
“She said, ‘I don’t think it’s anything but I want you to get checked’, so she sent a referral off to the Ulster Hospital,” says Christine.
A letter for an appointment with the consultant Mr Kirk arrived within a week, and he performed a fine needle biopsy and a mammogram, and told her to come back in two hours for the results.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t think it was anything,” says Christine.
“I actually came out and phoned my mother and said, ‘don’t worry about it.’ I had gone on my own because I was so convinced it was nothing.”
Christine recalls returning to the hospital that afternoon and being called in to see Mr Kirk by the breast care nurse, who was “cool and calm, and didn’t let anything on to me.” The consultant told her that she had stage three breast cancer - and after that, she can’t remember what happened.
“In a way I’m glad I can’t remember,” she says.
“There are so many emotions - I know I was scared. I was petrified, I thought I was going to die.
“But within the next week or so, I got my appointment to go up and see Mr Kirk. He’s an amazing man and he explained what was going to be happening, that I would be getting a lumpectomy done, and then chemotherapy and radiotherapy.”
Christine’s surgery was performed in June, and she started her chemotherapy on July 17, 2011.
Whilst she had been warned what to expect in terms of the dreadful side effects of her cancer treatment, the one aspect she was “petrified” of and found really hurtful “psychologically”, was seeing her hair fall out.
“You just don’t feel like a woman anymore,” she says honestly.
“But the staff in the McDermott Unit in the Ulster Hospital were amazing, I can’t praise the girls. They helped me every step of the way.”
Throughout her treatment, Christine found solace in her Friday nights taking her BB members in Ballygowan.
“I’ve been there since I was about 15 - I left for a year and came back, I missed it so much,” she reveals.
“I love it - it’s my wee freedom zone, I just take so pleasure in going on a Friday night and spending time with the boys and moulding them into gentlemen, if you know what I mean? They are just such a lovely group.”
But how did she get through those evenings when she felt terrible due to her cancer treatment?
“I put a front on. I wasn’t letting my boys down,” she says bravely.
“You knew you could go in there and you weren’t having people asking you, ‘how are you?’”
When her hair started to fall out and she began wearing a headscarf, Christine noticed the boys starting to examine her appearance more closely.
“All I said to them was, ‘boys I’m not well, I’ve been getting medicine and it’s made my hair fall out - do any of you want to see my bald head?’”
In autumn of 2011, Christine completed her chemo, and then finished her radiotherapy a week before Christmas.
She came out of her last session and cried with sheer relief and emotion.
“I had the best Christmas. It was just such a family Christmas, it was like, ‘I’ve been there, done it, I’ve got the T-shirt and I’ve beat it’.
“It felt so good that I had finally come through it all, it was all done. It was like - this is it this is the start of a new life for me.”
Six months ago Christine returned to work.
“I’ve had my first mammogram and the results came back clear, there’s nothing there,” she smiles.
“I’m just living every day as if it’s my last and doing what I want to do now. I’ve a second chance at life and I’m not letting anything beat me.”
Her message to all women is simple - check your breasts.
“If it can happen to me at my age, it can happen to anybody. Age doesn’t matter where this disease is concerned.”
n Visit www.macmillan.org.uk for more information on services and support offered by Macmillan nurses.
