Ciara Mageean

Most people, whenever they're told they have cancer, it's like they're on the ground crying.

For me, I was like, Jesus, that's not good.

I was probably so shocked that it was probably like an unusual reaction.

Most people would expect you to cry, but I was like, God...

Right.

But because I'm so young and healthy, I thought I'll be an early stage.

Not that any stage of cancer is OK, but obviously the early stages are more treatable.

I was like, I'll be an early stage.

I'll get some treatment.

Mad that this is the case.

But but it'll be fine.

It'll be fine.

And that's probably how I've been throughout my career.

This will be fine.

And and.

In that moment, and it's probably a reflection on the experience I've had throughout my sporting career, my immediate thing was like, OK, what are the next steps?

So chatting to the doc, and obviously I had accessed the healthcare down here in Dublin, and I'm living in the north and from the north.

So the immediate question with the lovely Dr Horgan and Vincent was, he was like, look, I'm not an oncologist, but we found cancer.

And so here there's a number of different treatments available.

available to you and we'll have to assess and see what stage the cancer is and and the genetic makeup of this cancer but you'll have to access oncology care and would you like that in the south or in the north and i was like look at i live in belfast it makes much more sense i'm not gonna be traveling down to dublin for for chemo and i was like i'll