ACTRESS Ali Bastian has shared her relief at being cancer-free after undergoing gruelling treatment, but says – “I don’t feel brave”.
The former Hollyoaks star was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after moving to Cork last year.
Now, she hopes to give back to the medical team and community that supported her through her difficult journey.
The 43-year-old mum-of-two moved to Cork last May from London, having spent time there during the pandemic.
Her husband, David O’Mahoney, has family in the area.
Ali said: “We were spending a lot of time here. And I had a difficult second birth and was struggling to heal from my C-section.
“And I just felt like I was burning out. I remember we came out for a week and I said to David, ‘I really think we need to be here’.”
As life returned to normal post-pandemic, they returned to London briefly.
Eventually, they decided to move full-time back to Cork.
Just weeks later, Ali’s world was upended when she discovered a lump while breastfeeding her youngest, Isabella.
Ali said: “I could just hear the ringing in my ears for a long time after receiving that news.
“But the doctors and nurses at CUH (Cork University Hospital) have picked me up. They scooped me up and have put me back on my feet and they are incredible.”
One word Ali won’t use is “brave”.
She said: “I think [it’s] that language around it, the fighting, the battle.
“Even sometimes I struggled with, ‘You’re so brave’, which people say to you and you think, I don’t know how I feel about that.
‘I’M COPING’
“I feel like I’m coping somehow, and sometimes not. But I don’t feel I’m being brave.”
Following a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Ali is now cancer-free, but will be kept under observation and will be on hormone therapy for the coming years.
She praised her Cork neighbours, many of whom she hadn’t met before her treatment, who helped her with food and travel.
And now she hopes to give back to CUH and those who helped.
WHAT ARE THE SYMTPOMS OF BREAST CANCER?
A lump in the breast is the most commonly known symptom of breast cancer, but there are some other keep symptoms you should know
Any lumps in the armpit or collarbone area should also be taken seriously, as well as any thickening tissue or new lumps in the general chest area.
A change in the size or shape of the breasts, or a change in the nipples, such as appearing sunken, should be checked by a GP.
Dimpling on the skin of your breasts, or a rash on or around your nipple, can also be warning signs.
You should also keep an eye out for any unusual discharge from the nipples, such as blood-stained discharge.
It is important for women to regularly check their breasts for any changes or lumps.
You should stand facing a mirror with your shoulders straight and hands on your hips to examine the appearance of both breasts.
You should then raise your arms over your head and repeat this process.
You should then feel for any lumps, using your right hand to check the left breast and your left hand to check the right breast.
The HSE advises: “Keep your fingers flat and together. Using a circular motion, cover your entire breast from top to bottom and side to side.
“Move your hand from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.”
Ali, who was an ambassador for Friday’s Daffodil Day for the Irish Cancer Society, she wants to help those who are now in her place.
The ex-Hollyoaks star said: “I’m trying to think of fun ways to raise money for the services that have helped me. We have this amazing thing in west Cork called Cancer Connect, because we live quite remotely.
“There are local volunteers that will drive you to your chemo. I was having chemo weekly and it was pretty knockout, like, I couldn’t have driven myself.”
CONCERT PLANS
Ali now hopes to put on a concert in Cork with some of her acting pals, including Carly Stenson, who starred with her in Hollyoaks.
“(Cancer) really strips you back. And I don’t wish it on anyone. It’s a nightmare. And I’m just so relieved it’s a nightmare that is coming to an end.”
- To donate to the Irish Cancer Society, visit cancer.ie
