'Swimming in the sea every day saved my life'

A Bettystown grandmother has told how swimming in the sea every day “saved her life” after she and her husband were diagnosed with cancer just weeks apart.

Jean Strong (70) was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2019, just weeks after her husband Ronald (76) was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, cancer of the blood.

The day after she finished six weeks of intense radiotherapy in September 2019 the Bettystown pensioner joined ‘Swim Tribe’, a group of local women who brave the cold waters of the seaside town everyday and says “she has never looked back.”

Thankfully Jean has since gotten the all clear and puts her recovery and good health down to the benefits of the sea. She added:

“I was just recovering from cancer and just finished my treatment the day before when I took my first swim and it saved my life.

“It’s invigorating and all of your stresses and strains of the day are gone for those few minutes plus the comradery of it is wonderful.

“I was told I was going to be sick and probably very tired after the treatment and I never had anything and I attribute it all to my sea swimming.

“The group started last December twelve months and was initiated by a lady called Siobhan Woods, there was four of us and we went down one day to Mornington to have a swim and she said isn’t such a shame that we have an amenity on our doorstep that we don’t make use of of it and it started from there.

“Particularly anyone who has mental health issues it just does wonders for the mind.”

Jean has four children and five grandchildren and is originally from Tullamore in Co, Offaly but has been living in the seaside town for the past 37 years. She was diagnosed with breast cancer just a few weeks after her husband Ronald was told he was also suffering from the illness. She said:

“My husband had cancer at the time and still has it now so it was a double whammy we suffered in this house.

“I was just getting my head around my husband Ronald’s cancer when one morning I was in the shower and found a lump.

“I went over to a very good friend of mine who happens to be a nurse and asked her to look at it and she would let me go and she said no you are straight to the doctor.

“The whole thing went into action fairly quickly. I attended the Mater Private and was treated by a wonderful consultant Professor Stokes and I was diagnosed at that stage with step 2 Breast Cancer.

“Within a week I was being operated on to remove the lump.

“I had to go through radiotherapy for six weeks, I didn’t luckily enough have to have chemo because it hadn’t gone to the lymph nodes.

“Looking back at it, I don’t know how we coped but we just got up and got on with it, we didn’t have a choice.

“We were both in our 70s, so it was either that or go down under.”

Jean says she discovered swimming at the end of her radiotherapy and has never stopped since.

“It was like somebody turned on a light and it has focused me on a day to day basis with coping with my husband here and his cancer, now I swim every single day.

“I feel it brought our whole little area together as a community. All of those girls in the group swimming are 30 or 40 years younger than me, here I am in my 70s and I feel as part of the group as if I were their age.

“You don’t have to be a swimmer, just go down and immerse yourself in the cold water, it’s wonderful.”

Jean has remained in good health since she received the all clear from cancer and while Ronald is still currently undergoing chemotherapy he has turned a corner according to the keen swimmer.

“I couldn’t believe when I got the all clear, I was thrilled, you were still very nervous going into get that final result. It’s hard to describe unless you go through it.”

“Ronald is very good at the moment; he has had a good spell over the last couple of months so we are keeping our fingers crossed that nothing will come against him again.

“It was a very tough two years. We had amazing family support and amazing friends and neighbours around.

“It has made us stronger people at the end of the day. Sometimes I stop and think how did I cope with it but I did, I think you just take it day by day.

“I value life far more and all of the other materialistic things of this world don’t matter to me. All I want is for my family and everyone around me to be healthy and happy.

“Swimming has saved my life both mentally and physically.

“As long as god gives me my strength to keep going I’ll do it.”