A Co Armagh woman who battled a brave cancer journey is giving back to those who helped her when she needed it the most.
Michelle McCaughley, from Lurgan, was diagnosed with a rare gastrointestinal cancer in 2018. She has opened up about the symptoms she experienced, which were put down to other factors in her life.
And today, Michelle is celebrating her family and friends, and medical teams who stood by her from the moment she was told those painful words - you have cancer.
Read more: NI woman on cancer diagnosis age 22 after struggling to stay awake
"From my first symptom, I left hospital seven weeks later having had life saving surgery and stage 3b cancer diagnosis," Michelle told Belfast Live
"My life turned around in seven weeks. I had a wee bit of weight loss, but I was hitting a big birthday and me and a few friends were at the gym. I thought it was down to that. My skin was also itchy, and irritable. That was it, those two symptoms.
"I had been in the garden and thought maybe I had an allergic reaction because my skin was bad. They carried out blood tests and they had thought it was my gallbladder, but when they went in to take it out, my surgeon in The Mater, who was my life saver, said it looked like two significant tumours.
"Since then, I have had no reoccurrence of the cancer since but there are a lot of post surgery side effects. I would be suffer from fatigue and because of the nature of the cancer, I took medical retirement two years ago. My day job would have been head of marketing and comms at Belfast Met.
"I do get tired very easily, and the surgery was complex."
Wanting to give back to Macmillan Cancer, Michelle hosted her very own fundraiser last month, through a charity fashion show. She managed to raise an incredible £8,150 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Michelle joined forces with family-run luxury department store, Alana Interiors to organise the sold-out event. The fashion show celebrated the latest trends of Spring/Summer fashion and brought together 200 people to celebrate local health service heroes for their work supporting people living with cancer
Gracing the catwalk alongside Michelle were six people who have been very influential in her life, including her GP, three nurses from the Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) Unit of the Belfast Trust, a member of the Macmillan NI Engagement Team, and a close friend also recovering with cancer.
Most of the group, along with her family and friends have been with her since day one of her diagnosis, throughout treatments and are still supporting Michelle in her recovery now.
"Macmillan have been my travel companion from day one," Michelle added.
"They were in the room with me the day I got diagnosed. They are still with me four years on. They are one of the best travel companions you can have on this journey. They have been there with me on all pinch points from managing fatigue and side effects during chemo, gave me advice about benefits, my work pension, improving my fitness levels.
"They helped me build resilience how on this journey and how to show yourself some self -care and compassion and do things that ignite your well-being. I wanted to do the fundraiser to say thank you to my family and friends, my NHS sunflowers, raise some monies for Macmillan, but it was also about raising awareness of what Macmillan can do for people living with cancer. They are a compassionate warrior who were there for me from day one of my diagnosis. They just do whatever it takes for people living with cancer."
Michelle says she’s found her purpose and voice again by taking on a volunteer role with Macmillan. In this role, she’s helping to shape Macmillan’s work to improve cancer care across Northern Ireland. As a member of Macmillan’s NI Cancer Experience Panel, and as a Peer Facilitator she helps to amplify the voice of people living with cancer.
"Having spent a lifetime working in marketing and communications, and in education, I wanted to use my cancer voice to help others, and to work alongside Macmillan in shaping services for people living with cancer. It gives me a real feeling of contentment.
"It’s about taking that personal trauma and turning it into action – it’s about out of trauma comes hope. It is important to me to use my cancer voice to help shape better services for people living with cancer. I had an amazing experience with the NHS and my healthcare professionals, and I want everyone else to have that experience."
As a result of her outstanding commitment to volunteering, Michelle was honoured last year as a Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) Platinum Champion - one of only 490 Champions across the UK – celebrating people who make a real difference to communities with their kindness and generosity.
Maura McClean, Northern Ireland Engagement Lead at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Michelle for raising an astonishing £8,150 and for her continued support for Macmillan. Michelle has poured her time and energy into creating a fabulous fashion show, bringing the community together in celebration, while showcasing her determination to make a positive difference for those who need support.
"Macmillan relies almost entirely on donations from the public and without the incredible generosity and unwavering dedication of our valued supporters like Michelle, we wouldn’t be able to continue to do all that we can for the people that need us most."
Carol Little, Owner of Alana Interiors, said: "We were delighted to work with Michelle on such a fantastic event; celebrating all things fashion and our health service heroes, whilst raising vital funds for Macmillan."
To help Macmillan continue its mission to support people living with cancer, donate and help make a difference today, visit here.
Macmillan Cancer Support enables people living with cancer all over Northern Ireland to access the practical, financial and emotional help they need. For support, information, or just a chat, call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 0000.
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