{"id":666231,"date":"2026-10-26T22:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T22:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/666231\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T22:48:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T22:48:11","slug":"cork-mum-of-three-graduated-with-a-masters-degree-while-fighting-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/666231\/","title":{"rendered":"Cork mum of three graduated with a Master’s Degree while fighting breast cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A married mum of three who was diagnosed with cancer in her late 40s after discovering a small lump <\/a>in her breast is urging others to self-examine themselves every month.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Osagie-Alli, who lives in Cork with her family, was shocked when she received her diagnosis<\/a>, as she thought breast cancer <\/a>was only hereditary.<\/p>\n

The adult educator and part-time lecturer found a lump, which was her only symptom, in her right breast back in October of 2021. Elizabeth kept an eye on the lump, which had grown larger by December, but because it was the Christmas season, she waited until January before getting it checked out.<\/p>\n

“I was not scared or worried because I thought breast cancer was only hereditary. In January 2022, my GP referred me to CUH, where I had the triple assessment, and less than three weeks later, I was told by the consultant that I had triple-negative breast cancer,” she told RSVP Live.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth said that she struggled with two thoughts after the consultant told her the news: how would she manage, and how would other people start to see her.<\/p>\n

“Stigma in the Black community is a big issue, due to beliefs like being under a curse, witchcraft, punishment for sins, or lack of faith, not enough prayers, amongst others. Hence, getting a cancer diagnosis or undergoing treatment for cancer is rarely talked about.<\/p>\n

“The news of someone dying from cancer travels fast, and only then is it mostly spoken about openly. I feared people\u2019s opinion of me in my black community as much as I feared the scary treatment of cancer,” she explained.<\/p>\n

Soon after, she started to undergo treatment, which included sixteen rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a lumpectomy to remove the lump. She then had twenty-five rounds of radiotherapy and was put on chemotherapy tablets for six months afterwards.<\/p>\n

While fighting cancer, Elizabeth was also studying in UCC for her Master’s Degree. She said there were many days when it wasn’t easy, but finishing the programme became her motivation.<\/p>\n

“Cancer took so much from me. From losing my hair, my ability to walk properly, to my ability to hold a pen. But I fought hard to ensure that a programme I started in UCC was completed, and a month after my surgery, I submitted my thesis, which enabled me to graduate with my Master\u2019s Degree.<\/p>\n

“It wasn\u2019t easy. There were days that I could barely keep my eyes open, and typing on my laptop was difficult, but the zeal to finish the programme and to graduate became my motivation. I completed my thesis while fighting cancer, and I received a First-Class result. I felt fulfilled.”<\/p>\n

\"Elizabeth<\/p>\n

Elizabeth during her treatment<\/p>\n

As for what kept her going during this difficult period, Elizabeth said she found great support in Iris House Cork Cancer Support, and learned to love her ‘new self’, which restored her confidence.<\/p>\n

“My confidence was at an all-time low; my body had changed so much. My family, friends and faith in God kept me going. I found support in Iris House Cork Cancer Support, made new friends, attended life-coaching classes, received alternative therapies, learned to love my new self and found my confidence again.<\/p>\n

“As a Black woman, the stigma attached to a cancer diagnosis makes life during cancer more difficult. It\u2019s time to stop the blame game, end the stigma and the silent but strong discrimination that exists in the Black community to ensure that women diagnosed with cancer can live without shame and seek support outside the medical team when needed.”<\/p>\n

When asked what she wished every woman knew about breast cancer, Elizabeth said everyone should know that it is not only hereditary; it can affect anyone, and that those with dense breasts might require a further scan.<\/p>\n

“I would like other women to know that cancer is not only hereditary. Also, all women should be proactive to check their breasts every month by doing a breast self-examination. For Black women like me, research has shown that many women present with breast cancer earlier than age 50; hence, more attention should be given to their breasts if under 50 in case any changes occur, because they won\u2019t be offered routine breast screening by the HSE in Ireland.<\/p>\n

“Some women have dense breasts. I would advise that they ask about their breast density during a mammogram and, if they have dense breasts, to request a breast scan because a mammogram alone cannot detect the presence of cancer.<\/p>\n

“No one should fight cancer alone. There is support for anyone affected by breast cancer through the Irish Cancer Society and Iris House Cork Cancer Support for those who live in Cork.”<\/p>\n

If you have any questions or concerns about cancer, contact the Irish Cancer Society\u2019s Support Line on freephone 1800 200 700 or email supportline@irishcancer.ie<\/a>. Find out more about the Irish Cancer Society\u2019s Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign at cancer.ie\/pink<\/a><\/p>\n

Want to see more of the stories you love from RSVP<\/a>? To add RSVP as a preferred source of news on Google, simply click here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A married mum of three who was diagnosed with cancer in her late 40s after discovering a small…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666232,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[258,46,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-666231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-cancer","tag-cork","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}