Cork woman: My Mini Marathon goal in aid of Mercy - a cause close to my heart

WHEN Amy Fuller, from Hollyhill, went to the Big Smoke at age 22, she discovered the streets of London were paved with love.

“I was planning on going to London for two or three months,” says Amy, mum to Millie, aged 10, and Beau, aged three.

“I met Sean at a club in London in April, 2011, we hit it off straight away! That was it. I ended up staying in London for almost 10 years, until we came back to Ireland and set up home in Lyre, near Banter.

“We moved back in 2019 before the pandemic,” says Amy, who is a learning and development manager for catering company, Baxter Storey, that have big contracts with Dublin Zoo, Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork Airport and several pharmaceutical plants.

The couple made their dream home a reality.

“We moved in with mum and dad in Hollyhill, then we rented in Passage West before buying our house in Lyre,” says Amy.

Life was good and all was well until Sean, a scaffolder by trade, got sick.

Amy is stepping out on September 17 to take part in The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon, with her work colleagues, to fundraise for the Mercy Hospital Foundation, where Sean has received the best of care.

“I’m in a women’s group at work called Rise,” says Amy.

When we decided to pick a Cork-based charity, it was obvious to support the Mercy. It has been our second home. Dr Derek Power and his team are wonderful.

Amy always thought her husband was wonderful.

“Sean was always healthy,” she says.

“In 10 years, he rarely saw a doctor. He never had a cough or a cold. I was the one who seemed to have a low immune system.”

The couple will always remember Easter Monday in April, 2022.

“Sean woke up with a swollen testicle the size of a grapefruit,” says Amy.

“We went to South Doc, who suspected a hernia.

“At A&E in the CUH, Sean was told he had to go for surgery, and he underwent surgery that same day. It was all so fast.”

Yet, for Amy and Sean, everything seemed to be in slow motion, there was an unreal sense to what was happening.

“Sean was kept in hospital over-night,” says Amy.

The next day, I got a phone call to say he had a tumour and that it was cancerous.

She had a shoulder to cry on.

“I remember crying at mum’s,” says Amy.

“I couldn’t be consoled. I had my hands full with the kids and with work. Sean was only 32. He had no warning signs. It was hard to believe.”

Dr Derek Power was in charge.

“He said the success rate for testicular cancer was high compared to other cancers,” says Amy.

“Sean was a young strong man and should be able to tolerate the chemotherapy treatment.

“Sean started an intense regime of chemotherapy treatment eight weeks after his surgery. It started in June, 2022 and finished in August 2022.”

It was a horrific summer for the young couple, who had returned home to Cork full of the joys of life.

“We moved into our new house on June 18, 2022. At the same time, it was discovered Sean had a clot in his heart, and he was admitted to the Mater Hospital in Dublin to reduce the size of the blood clot. After one and a half weeks, Sean went back to the Mercy,” says Amy.

How was Amy bearing up?

“It was a very stressful time for me,” she says.

Sean had to continue chemotherapy treatment and have blood thinning injections. A haematologist specialist kept an eye on his bloods.

April this year brought with it more concern for Sean’s health.

“A year to the day since he woke up with an enlarged testicle, we got a call to say the oncologist needed to see us,” says Amy. “It was an anxious wait.”

“It wasn’t good news,” says Amy. “There was a tumour under Sean’s chest in the lymph nodes. 

Dr Power said we weren’t dealing just with testicular cancer but a rare sarcoma cancer that is cancer of the blood. It is known as a childhood cancer.

“It is rare in adults and only affects 1%. It is a cancer that is rarely seen.”

The news wasn’t good.

“The cancer is terminal,” says Amy.

“The prognosis is less than 10% for five years.”

What was the impact on Amy and Sean hearing this news?

“It was very tough,” says Amy.

“Sean was undergoing chemotherapy again and what was the end result going to be?

“With testicular cancer, you can get rid of it, keeping a good eye on it.”

Amy asked the hard question.

“Would the cancer treatment extend his life? The answer was ‘yes’, they had to keep doing it.

“The Mercy team are wonderful, they are doing a great job. Dr Power and his team are amazing in what they do, but it is still very difficult,” says Amy.

She is lucky to have caring people in her corner.

“I am very fortunate to have support from my mum and dad and from my work colleagues. My director has been very supportive.”

Life is different now for Sean, the happy-go-lucky London boy who took pride in his work, his family, and his home.

“It’s hard on Sean mentally,” says Amy.

“He was always at work. He sees me trying to manage everything and that is hard on him.”

But Sean is a tough cookie.

“He is positive and he’s adamant that he wants to see the kids grow up,” says Amy.

Sean is receiving great care and massive support from his medical team and from his family.

Taking part in The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon, Amy is supporting the Mercy Hospital Foundation, who have supported Sean and his family during his illness.

“It was obvious what Cork charity we were going to pick,” says Amy. “I jumped at the opportunity.”

Is Amy usually a walker or a runner?

She laughs.

“I’m a dog walker! This is all new to me. Preparation for the event will keep me going. “I have a good support network around me. My mum is an angel. I am lucky that I really enjoy my job. 

Going to work keeps me in a routine. I have lots of flexibility. I work with a great team who have great initiatives.

Amy, who found love in the heart of London, is on another mission of love; one close to her heart.

“Supporting the Mercy Hospital Foundation is a positive thing to do. They are caring for Sean 100%.”

There is still time to sign up to The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon, which takes place this Saturday, September 17. See echolive.ie/minimarathon