At what point did you realise there might be something wrong?

Pinpointing things and thinking, going back and thinking about things.

Like I was very tired for a period of time, but I was very much like in the mindset of who isn't tired? It was only then one day I had looked in the mirror at myself and I had noticed a change in one of my breasts.

So I was then looking, going, okay, that's not supposed to be there.

Thought maybe I had bumped it, banged it, didn't think overly too much in depth about it.

And then it was only as time went on, kind of, asked my sisters and close friends, I'm like, should I be worried about this? Like, is this something? They were like, that doesn't look normal.

I had obviously went to my GP, it would have been the end of May 2024.

What advice would you give to another person who's starting out that journey that you started out two years ago? What would you say to that person?

I suppose, Lydia, when did you first get involved in this campaign?

So I was diagnosed in July of 2024 so kind of quite quickly I had gotten in touch with the Irish Cancer Society in regards to what happened to us like mid diagnosis so we had one cell agreed on our home and then the week later I was in my GP with a lump on my breast and was referred to go get tested and was waiting for everything to be done and kind of it all unfolded quite quickly in a sense of everything was delayed and got in touch with Irish Cancer Society and I was like I don't know what to do here it's not something that you're told how to deal with in life you're not given a playbook on it had lots of questions, a lot of them were going unanswered.

So the Irish Cancer Society worked very closely with me and had made me aware of the campaign.

So kind of would have kind of started like late 24, 25.

And then just after treatment had ended, everything kind of started moving in a sense of since I started advocating for it and was made aware that this change was trying to be put with yourselves into coming to legislation.

So, yeah, really great.

It's absolutely life changing.

Oh massively, like I know the Irish Cancer Society started this campaign back in 2021 and it came about from speaking to patients and they had made them aware of this challenge.

Lydia, can you talk us through your own experience with breast cancer and how it impacted your ability to get mortgage protection?

Yeah, of course.

Um, so it started in July of 2024.

Um, we had bought our home in May, and I had found a lump and an indentation in my breast within the week.

Um, so we kind of were going and getting things done that we needed to get done to kinda get the mortgage across the line, and things kinda came to a significant halt because I was obviously awaiting to go for my triple assessment.

Um, and we were met then with obstacles and being asked questions, "If you're awaiting these tests, like, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee you mortgage protection." So at the, that stage, all hope wasn't lost.

I was in touch with mortgage brokers, et cetera, asking them questions, being like, "If this is worst-case scenario, can I still get my mortgage protection?" They were like, "Well, it depends on the lenders, et cetera." So I was like, "Right.

And how would the, the Right to be Forgotten law change the rules around mortgages for cancer survivors such as you, Lydia?