NOELLE DROHAN WAS never really one to complain, or even draw attention to herself.

She was a trained accounts technician, and she worked in the garage across the road from her family home in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, but her daughters say that her main occupation “was always as a mam”. 

“She put myself and my sister first, always, and I suppose she was like a lot of Irish women in that sense,” Niamh Drohan said. 

Niamh is 34, and just over a year ago, her mother died with colorectal cancer. Throughout her mum’s cancer journey, from the first GP visit over worrying symptoms, to after the diagnosis point, Niamh always had the sense that Noelle was holding information back; that the outlook was much worse than what she was saying. 

Noelle was 55 when she died on 21 July 2024, she was 53 when she first went to the GP. 

“My mam was a really private person, she probably suffered in silence for a really long time before she sought out medical attention. She was incredibly unlucky with her health; I was living in Cork and my sister was living in Dublin for the last few years, and it seemed like every time we were back home, she wasn’t well in some way,” Niamh said. 

Niamh said that when she went home to visit she would notice digestive aids around the house, and that her mother’s health seemed to have visibly deteriorated.

“Afterwards, when the reality of the situation was clear, she told me that at that time, it was taking her an hour to get dressed in the mornings. She’d put her leggings on and then have to lie down for half an hour, before she could put her t-shirt on,” Niamh said. 

In February 2023, after several GP visits, Noelle was sent for a full blood panel test. 

“They found that her white blood cell count was on the floor, and she was sent to the hospital immediately,’ Niamh said. 

Noelle underwent chemotherapy treatment and appeared to respond well to it during that year, but when Niamh went home for Christmas, she noticed that her condition had seriously deteriorated. 

“At that time, she wasn’t fully telling me what was going on, but at that time I was crying on the phone to my friends saying, ‘I swear to god I think she’s dying,’ and they didn’t know what to say. 

Noelle’s condition worsened to the point that it was clear to her family that her cancer was terminal. 

“She came home for the last time in June, and she had a walker to help her get around. At that stage the cancer had spread extensively, even to her spine,” Niamh said. 

Her mam’s passing in July 2024 was devastating to her. 

“Of course, she was my mam, so I’d say this, but she really was so maternal with everyone,” Niamh said. 

Afterwards, Niamh started putting together a picture of their family’s health history. Her grandmother had passed away with colorectal cancer at the age of 63, so she realised that there was potentially a genetic factor at play. 

“I started looking into the latest reports around colorectal cancer in Ireland and in the world, and I saw that there is an increasing prevalence of colorectal cancer cases in people who are well under the screening age, so it made me start to think that the screening age itself in Ireland should be lowered from 59 to 50, because that is what it is the UK, and in other countries around the world,” Niamh said. 

Niamh is encouraging people to participate in HIQA’s consultation programme for increasing the age range for colorectal screening in Ireland. 

It’s understood that currently, the uptake for the colorectal cancer screening programme is at 46%, which is well below the participation for the other national cancer screening services. 

Just last week, the Health Information and Quality Authority launched a public consultation assessment as it is in the process of looking into lowering the age of the BowelScreen programme to people aged 50-54 in Ireland. 

Colorectal cancer, which is also referred to as bowel cancer, refers to cancer that occurs in the colon and rectum. 

It is the second most common cancer in men and the third most common cancer in women in Ireland

It is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Ireland. 

The screening process is fairly simple, at first it involves an at-home test which is intended to detect hidden blood in a person’s stool, and if that is detected, they are sent for a colonoscopy. 

Similar to the cervical cancer screening programme, it can detect early health indicators and early intervention can prevent a person’s cancer from developing to a more serious stage. 

Dr Máirin Ryan, the deputy CEO of HIQA, said that the HSE already has a commitment in place to expand colorectal cancer screening to people aged 55-74, as currently the service is only totally in place for people aged 59 to 70, although the expansion of the age range is already underway. 

“The services required for screening are under pressure to meet existing demands. Significant investment and planning would be required to ensure the necessary resources are in place to support a potential future extension of the BowelScreen programme,” Dr Ryan said. 

To participate in the public consultation, visit the HIQA site here. 

*Bowel cancer and colorectal cancer are interchangeable terms.