For this daily portrait and podcast project, I’ve invited people to tell me their stories. These can be any stories at all that people wish to share and be remembered for, anything that’s on their mind or that they feel defines them. I could not have anticipated the sheer volume of people who have been in touch who have been diagnosed with some form of cancer. 

It seems to be the illness that we’re suffering from the most and it’s wholly heartbreaking to see. We’ve chatted to people who have terminal cancer and who are getting treatment while trying to maximise their last few months and years. We’ve also chatted to people who have lost loved ones because of cancer and they’re trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. Cancer is a horrendous scourge that seemingly every single person has been in some way affected by. 

Peter Cooney has Stage Two Hodgkin's Lymphoma, but you won’t find him wallowing in despair, in fact, he’s happier now than he has ever been. 

The cancer that Peter has is thankfully very treatable with a high success rate. His team are confident that he will soon be cancer free, but what the cancer has done for him is truly remarkable.

“I'm a naturally grumpy person, but I actually feel far more positive since getting the diagnosis. In the office it would have been well known that I was surly and the lads would always try to wind me up, make me crack. After the diagnosis, I whinge less. Nothing is really worth getting worked up about.” 

Peter has tried to not let his day to day life change too much, while still taking the treatment seriously, however he has noticed that the people around him have changed. “Everyone's come out of woodwork to show their support, even people I’ve not talked to in years.”

“I think when you get diagnosed you really start to see the love around you, and the support that you have and it’s been incredible. I just get overly emotional now about the kindness and the love that people show. It’s turned me into a much more positive person than I’ve ever been.”

Peter initially thought that the cancer diagnosis may have helped him write some dark and depressing music for his metal band, but he jokes “I thought, great, here’s a chance to play on the misery and use it in the band, but it just never came, I’ve got absolutely nothing and will have to switch to writing in major keys.”

Peter is constantly seeing the funny side of his whole experience. He shaved his head when his hair fell out, but jokes that the only bad thing is now he looks more like his brother. He tells me stories about being in the hospital wards with some elderly men and how he found their constant chatter to be hilarious, as opposed to annoying, and how he was sent the worlds biggest pizza while on the ward and the embarrassment of having to carry it through the hospital.

“My mates did a whip around and sent me sixteen hundred quid on Revolut. And I was like, you know, cancer treatment’s free?. He plans to have a massive party at the end of the year, put some cash behind the bar, and celebrate with his mates who have seen him through.

“Like don't get me wrong, it is shit at times. But it's a minor inconvenience for six months. Whereas I get to then just continue with my life with a whole new perspective, new personality,  and I’m grateful for that, other people aren't that lucky.”

Ruth’s Sin Scéal Eile – That’s Another Story conversations are available as a podcast and at sinscealeile.com

Rx

Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.

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