A Dubliner has told how he is "delighted" to be on the road to recovery after an unusual symptom led to a cancer diagnosis.
Paul Markey from Leopardstown was diagnosed with lymphoma in July 2020.
He thought he had pulled a muscle while he was gardening - but it later turned out to be cancer.
The 70-years-old has been a volunteer driver for the Irish Cancer Society for many years and battled through his diagnosis with a positive attitude.
Speaking to Dublin Live, he said: “In July 2020, I was gardening and I got a pain in my back, I thought it was from lifting the flower pots. It didn’t go away and I went to the doctor, he gave me an injection and it didn’t work so he said I should go and get an MRI.
“The MRI found a spot on my back, so I got a test and came back and told me I’d a non Hodgkin's follicular lymphoma, what a mouthful.
“It’s the cancer of your lymph nodes and mine happened to be on my spine which was a bit of a shock to me. I’d no cancer-like symptoms, just the pain that went away. They monitored it because they were afraid it could crack my spine and I’d end up paralysed.”
Due to the Covid pandemic, Paul found out he had cancer alone and with the shock of the news he couldn’t bring himself to tell his wife.
He said: “I was in hospital for three days doing tests. I couldn’t tell my wife because I couldn’t pick up the phone and she couldn’t come in to see me, I couldn’t tell her.
“I told my son, the sad part of it was it was the same day that my younger son was meant to get married in Marbella but it was cancelled because of Covid, it was all bad news that day."
Paul went through chemotherapy every three weeks for six months.
“I was lucky that I wasn’t really ill with it the way some people are, apart from some nausea,” he continued.
“Of course, I lost all of my hair, I didn’t lose my eyebrows or eyelashes but I lost it everywhere else. I kept joking to my friends that I was like a porn star without the benefits.
“From September until Christmas in 2020 I was getting chemo and they told me the cancer was 90 percent gone and then in April of 2021 they told me it was completely gone and then last September they confirmed that it was completely gone.
“I’m delighted with myself, there’s 200,000 cancer survivors in Ireland, it’s not all bad news when you get the diagnosis.
“I was unfortunate to get Covid because I’d a low immune system but I recovered from that.”
Paul battled cancer and now he’s back helping the Irish Cancer Society.
He explained why the charity is so important to him, even before his own diagnosis.
He said: “I’m a volunteer for the Irish Cancer Society, most people get cancer and give something back by trying to help them. But I was a driver before my diagnosis, I’ve been driving for them for years. I take people from their homes to their treatment and then I bring them home again.
“I was aware of what to say to cancer patients and what not to say to them. I do a bit of ambassador work too, before Covid I was asked to go and say a few words at tea mornings and schools.
“It must be the best charity in the world, in Ireland. These guys are well organised. Everyone knows someone with cancer, so therefore it’s easy to identify with it.
“I haven’t been anywhere for a while for two years, I’d say their Daffodil day was poor last year and the year before because of the pandemic. You couldn’t go around shaking boxes at people because of Covid.
“Hopefully on Friday week it’ll be back to normal and I’ve volunteered to shake a box.”
Daffodil Day takes place on Friday, March 25. Go to cancer.ie/daffodilday to donate, visit the Daffodil Day shop, or to host a Daffodil Day event.
