Mother and daughter to walk survivors’ lap at Relay for Life

A MOTHER and daughter duo who have successfully overcome cancer will take part in the survivors’ lap at the Relay for Life in Corkagh Park on June 1.

Donna-Marie Cullen, 39, who is originally from Clondalkin but now lives in Lucan, and her mother Jackie Cullen will walk alongside each other at the moving event.

Both women were diagnosed with sarcomas just months apart, with Jackie having a sarcoma in her leg and Donna-Marie had one in her temple.

They have since recovered, with Jackie having to relearn how to walk while her daughter had to relearn how to talk after they underwent operations to remove the tumours.

Donna-Marie is an ambassador for Relay for Life, and is proud to use her voice to advocate for cancer survivors, while her mother will be proudly walking to show her support.

A mother-of-two, Donna-Marie noticed something was wrong in 2019 shortly after she gave birth to her son, Max.

“My son was seven weeks old, and I took a selfie of myself, my baby and my other half, and I thought I looked very gaunt,” she told The Echo.

“I said it to my other half, and he put his hand on my head, and he felt the tumour.

“I had been having really bad headaches, but when I went to the doctors about it, every time it was put down to the fact that I’d just had a baby.”

After her partner discovered the tumour, Donna-Marie underwent an ultrasound which confirmed that she had an encapsulated tumour.

“I was referred to maxillofacial, but I had a very lengthy wait to see a consultant,” said Donna-Marie.

“But I was in so much pain by February 2020, and I knew it was a tumour, so I went to A&E but they were too afraid to go in and do a biopsy on it.”

After making numerous phone calls and sending many emails, Donna-Marie eventually got a biopsy on September 1, 2020, and received a diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma on September 22.

“It’s a very rare and very aggressive form of cancer,” she explained.

“I think I went into fight mode.

“My initial reaction was just, ‘OK, what next?’.

“They set up a very aggressive treatment plan, with 17 sessions of chemotherapy, surgery, and six weeks of radiation.”

Donna-Marie began chemotherapy in October 2020 and in February 2021 she had an eight-and-a-half-hour operation to remove the tumour.

“I had the surgery in the middle of the chemotherapy, so I didn’t have to do the full 17 sessions,” said Donna-Marie. “In the end, I only had eight, and they’re really happy with the results of it all.

“I still have a lot of surgery, and because the tumour was in my temple I’ve had a lot of reconstructive surgery.

“They took fat away from my stomach to bulk out the area because they had to remove a lot of muscle in my temple, and skin from my wrist is on my head, and skin from my leg is on my wrist.”

Donna-Marie got through her experience with the support of her family, including her partner Colin O’Dwyer and their sons Sean, 14, and Max, four.

She now has her sights set on being an ambassador for Relay for Life and is looking forward to taking part in the 24-hour event.

“It’s an honour,” said Donna-Marie.

“Because I’ve seen the back of cancer, I have a lot of gratitude for the fact that I can be involved in the Relay for Life.

“I’m thankful that my family won’t have to sit there in memory of me and that I can actually do the relay, and it’s an opportunity to celebrate the lives of people we’ve lost to cancer.”

As for her own experience with cancer, Donna-Marie said her prognosis is good, but noted the nature of her rare form of cancer.

“I have a good prognosis, but the type of cancer I had is usually a children’s cancer that’s in a long bone,” she said.

“But, obviously, I’m not a child and it wasn’t in a long bone, it was in my temple, so it’s an unusual case and my cancer didn’t follow the typical rules.

“But I live my life, I try not to let it take over – I live my life as best I can.”

Relay for Life South County Dublin will take place for 24 hours in Corkagh Park on June 1, and is open to people from communities all over the county.

For further information, to register a team, join the survivors’’ lap, or to purchase a candle bag, visit the Relay for Life South County Dublin Facebook page or www.relayforlife.ie.