'It all happened quite quickly': Patricia Scanlan on 'shock' cancer diagnosis
Best-selling writer Patricia Scanlan was diagnosed with breast cancer before Christmas. Picture: Anthony Woods.
Irish author Patricia Scanlan has spoken out about how a recent routine health check led to a breast cancer diagnosis.
The best-selling writer, renowned for her book series, shared how her world was turned upside down when a health check-up before Christmas revealed the diagnosis.
In an interview with the , Scanlan spoke about the diagnosis and the publication of her much-anticipated book .
She said she got a “bit of a shock” upon receiving the diagnosis on Friday, December 13.
"It was a bit of a shock because even though my family history isn't great you still don't think you're going to get it,” she told the
She spoke about how she was originally scheduled for her BreastCheck appointment in February 2024 but had to postpone it until November as she underwent surgery.
“It was a routine check-up. I had a shoulder replacement in February last year and had to cancel my BreastCheck appointment that month as I was unable to put my arm behind my back for the x-rays,” she said.
“So, I went in November, got the results in December and once I was in the system it all happened quite quickly with surgery in January, followed by another surgical procedure in early March.
“The consultant is just being extra careful and the people at BreastCheck are wonderful, so caring and so kind and so thorough. I now must undergo radiotherapy but as it was detected in the early stages the prognosis is positive. It's the waiting for the results that is the worst bit."
Scanlan said that while she is grateful that her prognosis is positive, her diagnosis came at a bad time as she had been preparing for the release of her new book .
"It's just bad timing," she said, with PR duties pending and thousands of books to be signed.
Touching on the importance of her readers, she said: “When I sign my books, I put a little blessing in there for my loyal readers. I recently got a letter from the friend of a young woman who died with cancer. In her end-care at a hospice, she wanted me to know how much my books had got her through the tough times. How humbling is that?”
In the acknowledgments of , Scanlan thanks Ciara Geraghty and Caroline Grace-Cassidy whose podcast she said inspired her to write the sequel and made her see City Girl in a whole new light after 30 years.
Following the publication of the book, Scanlan said she plans to take things easy and spend time in her beloved garden.
