Olympic Rower credits Royal Surrey team for ‘all-clear’ from breast cancer in a whirlwind year
Paralympic Rowing Cox Erin Kennedy MBE, discovered she had triple-negative breast cancer at the age of 29, just four days before competing in the World Rowing Cup in May 2022.
After a whirlwind year, she credits receiving the ‘all-clear’ and picking up Gold at the European Championships in 2022 and returning to international competition this year as only being possible thanks to the support of Royal Surrey’s Teenage and Young Adult Cancer team (TYAC) and her oncology team.
Following her initial diagnosis, Erin received 15 rounds of chemotherapy under the expertise of Breast Cancer Consultant Dr Felicity Paterson and Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon Tracey Irvine. They and their team worked closely with Erin’s coaches to make sure that having cancer did not mean giving up on her passion for rowing. They also helped her secure her future plans of wanting to start a family.
Erin said: “They really understood the importance of me living my life, and I didn't want to just become a cancer patient and stop doing all the things I really love, including continuing to compete in rowing championships. They also helped me organise fertility preservation because my husband and I don't have children and wanted that to be an option for our future.”
“I would never have been able to do any of that without the staff in the TYAC unit, Dr Paterson and Tracey – they really looked after me. They had an excellent understanding of me as a person, what was important to me, and what I needed to do to get through the treatment. Without their support, I think I’d have just stopped. It would have been really, really tough.”
In January this year, Erin had a double mastectomy at Royal Surrey and was thrilled to be given the all-clear in March. Undeterred as she has been since her diagnosis, shortly afterwards in May, she went on to scoop Gold at the European Rowing Championships in Slovenia and has gone on to compete in this year’s World Cup and World Championships, winning Gold in both events.
As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Erin shares advice to help anyone going through the same experience. She said: “The fact that I was still able to achieve things and do things throughout my treatment, supported by the team at Royal Surrey, was huge for my mental wellbeing.
“My advice for anyone going through this, or anyone who knows someone going through breast cancer, is not to lose yourself in the diagnosis and for that to become your identity. That’s when I think you can feel like you don’t have control, and I found the hardest time was post-diagnosis because I felt like a ship without a rudder.
“Having faith in my oncologist and the Royal Surrey team, leaning into their advice and support, is what got me through. The team has looked after me so well over the last year, and when I have my final surgery in October, I will be back to rehab, training, and getting ready for the Paris Games in 2024. I’m looking forward to seeing the TYAC staff at the games, if they want to come, there are tickets with their names on them!”