Real Life

Dad-of-three shares warning signs of early onset Alzheimer’s after being diagnosed at 55

Gerry King, 60, a retired council worker, began getting warning signs for early onset Alzheimer’s in 2016 when he started asking the same questions 30 or 40 times a day

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'It genuinely saved my life' - how HRT helped a Dublin woman's perimenopause mental health struggles

Perimenopause happens several years before the menopause as oestrogen levels start to drop, and some women experience horrendous symptoms - Susan Gannon being one of them

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Perimenopause brain fog caused Kildare woman to walk away from a 30 year career

Perimenopause occurs as oestrogen levels start to drop and comes with a variety of symptoms - Ann experienced such severe brain fog she had to walk away from a 30 year career

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Galway dad reveals how he travels the world with family without paying for accommodation

Vincent Miggels, 49, has completed a total of 35 home swaps to countries including Canada, Hungary and Israel

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Irish Woman Ginny Breslin finds strength amidst relationship breakdown and loss of Mum to cancer

Ginny Breslin triumphed over imposter syndrome, discovered her true calling, and bravely bid farewell to her mother and a deceitful partner after a 14-year journey

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Dad living with 'silent killer' disease said double organ transplant was like a 'sci-fi horror'

After being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, described as a 'silent killer' by doctors, Sanjay Mistry underwent a double organ transplant but he has made a full recovery

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Galway mum hopeful for daughter with cerebral palsy's future thanks to Jack and Jill

Vanessa O'Connor says her world came crashing down when her youngest daughter Hannah was diagnosed with cerebral palsy but things turned around once Jack and Jill offered to help

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Cavan woman, 36, diagnosed with breast cancer but thought it was a cyst

Tara Doonan was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, a type of breast cancer, at 36 years old, but she assumed she was too young to have the condition and thought it was a cyst

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Five-year-old girl's life saved after brain tumour found during routine eye test

Tanisha Castello, 31, a stay-at-home mum, took her five-year-old daughter, Sofia, for an eye test two days after she became unwell when an optician noticed something unusual

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Dublin mum recalls being homeless on two separate occasions before finding forever home

Kelly Byrne has dealt with serious heartache in her life, and the 36-year-old is grateful to Focus Ireland for helping her family when they needed it most

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Dublin bride shares how she saved thousands off her designer wedding dress

Emma Doyle, 27, revealed how she planned her dream wedding on a budget and managed to save money and afford her stunning dream designer wedding dress for the special occasion

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Grandmother, 75, diagnosed with rare cancer after noticing her ankle 'looked a bit swollen'

Shirley Parnell, 75, a retired production coordinator, noticed a lump on her ankle and thought it “looked a bit swollen”, but was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumour

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Former electrician Chris Kent shines as Cork's person of the month after embracing comedy stardom

Cork comic Chris Kent, who has been drawing large crowds in Ireland and the UK, has been named the September Cork Person of the Month. He left his job as an electrician to pursue a career in comedy

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Teenager thought to have eating disorder after 4st weight loss diagnosed with blood cancer

Sophie is now in remission and thankfully stable due to medication but she hopes that she will be able to come off her medication someday due to the side effects

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Ciara, 32 says 'my mother-in-law tells me its disgusting seeing me drink a pint'

Ciara, a 32-year-old from Galway, recently went out for a night, but her mother-in-law disapproves of her drinking pints and finds it distasteful and unladylike

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Cork dad, 32, with young family denied social welfare as he battles rare, terminal cancer

Sean Fuller and his wife Amy from Hollyhill Cork face tough times while they try to support their three young children

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Mum's life saved after routine ultrasound found bladder cancer while five months pregnant

Janine Edgar, 43, was five months pregnant and undergoing a routine ultrasound scan when doctors found she had bladder cancer after experiencing 13 years of “crippling” symptoms

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Student saved after life-threatening blood clots missed by doctors were found thanks to eye test

20-year-old Alex Coupland was urged to go to hospital following an optical coherence tomography (OCT) during an eye appointment earlier this year - she was diagnosed with clots in her brain

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Woman's holiday in Ireland turns into permanent life as she now tours west coast in her van

Kathryn Johnson, 27, bought her £5,500 Ford Transit van in July 2020 and hasn't looked back since - here she shares her story of moving to the west coast of Ireland

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Granddad, 69, diagnosed with breast cancer after discovering a lump in his chest

Mike Burrows is urging men to swallow their “pride pill” and ask for help after he discovered a lump in his chest and thought it was swelling, saying “it’s probably nothing”

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Mum who ignored lump for eight months says being diagnosed with cancer while pregnant ‘saved her’

Mother who ignored a pea sized lump for nearly eight months believes being diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant with her first child ‘saved her life’

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Professional cuddler makes a living giving clients hugs in popular cuddle therapy

People travel from all over the globe to seek treatment from 44-year-old Natasha Wicks from Coventry: 'They all said to me that I give the best cuddles so it’s not surprising that I’d start doing it as a job'

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‘I’m 18, I should be thriving, but I’m not because every day is a battle with cystic fibrosis’

Abi Holmes was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was five months old and is among the 10% of patients who are ineligible for “miracle” medication - she feels she is fighting for her life

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"I helped my wife die by assisted suicide - it was incredibly lonely"

Garret Ahern calls for more 'dignity and compassion' in death after helping his wife Vicky avail of assisted dying in her home country Belgium after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer

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