Co Louth mother with terminal cancer diagnosis vows to fight illness

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

A Co Louth community has rallied around a mother with a terminal cancer diagnosis who is vowing to fight the illness.

Beauty therapist Tracey Taaffe, 44, from Monasterboice, outside Drogheda, had got her life back on track following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2021.

But after experiencing back and shoulder pain earlier this year, scans confirmed her worst fears – the disease had spread to her liver, lungs and sternum.

Doctors have given her a life expectancy of three to five years.

Her daughter Lea said the nightmare has awoken a steely determination in her mother to fight on – a resolve matched by family, friends and anonymous donors who gave €30,000 to a GoFundMe page in the first 24 hours.

The total now stands at more than €52,000 after just one week, which will be used for her medical bills, further treatment options and to ease the financial burden on the family – Tracey’s husband Alan, Lea, 25, and 18-year-old son Rhys.

Lea said: “She says ‘we need to get over five years, we’ll try to make the most of what is there’.

“Given the circumstances, I don’t know how she puts a smile on her face every day.”

After her initial cancer diagnosis three years ago, Tracey underwent 12 gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and 20 rounds of radiation treatment.

Lea said that when her mother began to feel unwell again in April, she booked a GP appointment, expecting to be back at work later that day.

Instead, she was told the disease had returned – stage four incurable metastatic breast cancer.

“It completely stopped her in her tracks, it was so hard for the first month,” said Lea.

“Since then there has been a plan in place, we can’t wake up every day and think ‘we’ve got this many days left with her’.

“When she’s having a bad day I remind her we can’t wait to cheer her up and make her laugh.”

Now under the treatment of oncologist Professor John Crown, Tracey faces an operation next month to remove her ovaries, a monthly bone infusion, a hormone-blocking injection and a new targeted therapy treatment.

She has also been forced to close Beauty by Tracey, the business she worked to build up over the last 18 years.

Dublin-based accountant Lea says the response to the fundraising appeal has been “incredible”.

“I know how great she is, but for everyone else to see it too, it’s so lovely.”

A benefit night, including a sponsored head shave, will be held in Daly’s pub in Donore, Co Meath, on August 24th.