Majella O’Donnell has opened up about life after surviving breast cancer.
The 55-year-old was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and underwent a double mastectomy in 2014 as well as chemotherapy in 2013.
She went public with her diagnosis and also raised more than 600,000 euro for the Irish Cancer Society after bravely having her hair shaved live on The Late, Late Show in September 2013.
The Tipperary native has just returned from a cruise with hubby Daniel O’Donnell and is now in full health, but has admitted that she’s not the same as she used to be before she was struck down with the disease.
“As far as being as confident as I used to be, that seems to have all fallen apart for me,” she told the Irish Examiner
“I would have put a lot of not being able to do things down to recovery. But I feel now I should be back to myself and I’m not. And I don’t think I ever will be.
“I don’t know whether that’s to do with cancer, or my age, or the change, but I cannot seem to deal with stress at all anymore.”
Majella also admitted that she tried a lot of different food fads, to help keep healthy, but they all made her unhappy so, she decided to give them up.
“I started reading all sorts of things: get rid of dairy, don’t eat sugar, coffee enemas are fantastic and so on.” she said. “So I started to drink green tea and not eating processed foods, not drinking — but, you know what, I just felt miserable.
“I am a firm believer in fate. I believe if it metastasizes somewhere else or if I’m going to die of cancer, everything is planned,” she continued.
“Of course, I’m not going to be silly. I don’t smoke, I don’t over drink. But there are loads of people I know who didn’t smoke or drink and who died of cancer, including my grandmother.”
We think Majella is truly inspirational!
