Tag: patient story
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Oesophageal Awareness Month: Turning Pain into Awareness and Action
Understanding Oesophageal Cancer and Why Awareness Matters Oesophageal cancer remains a formidable health challenge, with about 520 people diagnosed in Ireland each year. Oesophageal Awareness Month provides a critical opportunity to shed light on the disease, its symptoms, and the realities faced by patients and their families. Early detection can improve outcomes, but many people…
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Ottawa Woman Overcomes Endometriosis After Rare Surgery at The Ottawa Hospital
One Woman’s Journey with Endometriosis Danika Fleury, a 34-year-old elementary school teacher from Ottawa, spent more than a decade living with the painful and often unpredictable symptoms of endometriosis. From chronic pelvic pain to fatigue that limited her classroom energy, her condition affected daily routines, career ambitions, and personal life. For years, she tried conventional…
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A Letter of Hope: A Diabetes Patient Imagines a Future Child and an Artificial Pancreas
A Letter of Hope for the Future In Wales, a remarkable letter has become a beacon of hope for people living with diabetes who dream of motherhood in a world where technology may ease the burden of the condition. A children’s author, who has long used words to spark imagination, channels that same wonder into…
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I Got Cervical Cancer at 35: A Personal Journey Through Marriage, Motherhood, and Finances
Overview When a routine checkup turned into a life-changing diagnosis, Gabi McCord found herself confronting more than a medical condition. Cervical cancer at 35 upended plans for motherhood, redefined a marriage, and forced a closer look at finances. This is a personal account of how a diagnosis can ripple through every corner of a life—and,…
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Breast cancer: Hazel Brennan’s story of early detection
Hazel Brennan’s unexpected path to a breast cancer diagnosis Hazel Brennan, a 50-year-old mother from Athlone, Co Westmeath, took a rare weekend break with her husband, John, at the start of the year. The couple hoped for a brief escape with no hint of the life-changing news to come. During the trip, Hazel noticed an…
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Lyme Disease and AI: A Cautionary Self-Diagnosis Story
When AI Becomes a Search Companion for Health Oliver Moazzezi, an IT consultant who uses AI in his day-to-day work, turned to artificial intelligence not for a business solution, but in a moment of medical doubt. Over several years, a ringing in his ears, high blood pressure, fatigue, and muscle spasms nagged at him. After…
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Rapid Weight-Loss Injections Led to Gallbladder Surgery: The Julie Riley Story
The lure of rapid weight loss Julie Riley, a 57-year-old pastry chef from Birmingham, spent her days between ovens, fondant, and the next big dessert idea. Standing 1.54 meters tall, she weighed about 76 kilograms at the start of her journey, a BMI around 32 that put her in the obesity range. To quiet the…
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Healing More Than the Heart: Stephanie MacAlpine’s Journey Today
Diagnosed young, living with a genetic heart disease Stephanie MacAlpine knows what it’s like to live with a heart that’s failing. Diagnosed with a genetic heart disease at just two years old, she battled symptoms for decades. From irregular heartbeats to shortness of breath and fatigue, daily life required constant awareness—medication reminders, clinic visits, and…
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Healing more than the heart: Stephanie MacAlpine’s journey with genetic heart disease
A lifetime with a fragile heart Stephanie MacAlpine knows what it means to live with a heart that doesn’t always cooperate. Diagnosed with a genetic heart disease at just two years old, she spent decades navigating a condition that would shape every step of her life. Early on, irregular heartbeats interrupted quiet moments, shortness of…