‘I want to sit down in 10 years’ time and tell my children what we overcame as a family’

Thomas Lyons

As Mullingar mother Jane Swarbrigg returns home after her major New York surgery, she is preparing for the next stage of her fight against stage four colon cancer.

For Jane Swarbrigg, being back home in Mullingar, walking her six-year-old son to school and having her two-year-old daughter close by represents something precious: a return to normality amid a cancer journey that has changed her life in a matter of months.

The Westmeath businesswoman was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in April 2026, by which time the disease had spread to her liver and lungs. Since then, she has faced chemotherapy, major surgery and the daunting prospect of travelling between Ireland and the United States for specialised treatment not currently available here.

But as she prepares for the next stage of that, Jane is holding firmly to her determination to get well for her children, Georgia and Jackson, while drawing strength from the generosity of the Mullingar community.

“I’m back in Mullingar,” Jane told the Westmeath Examiner last week. “It’s wonderful, I got back a week earlier than expected.”

Following a major operation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSK) in New York on September 23, Jane returned home, having received medical clearance to fly.

“I returned home last Thursday, having got my ‘fit to fly’ on Tuesday. I was like, ‘Oh my God, get me home’. It’s just so nice to be recovering at home and have the kids around me. It’s such a brilliant distraction. It’s where I am meant to be. I’m not just sitting with my own thoughts.”

For a mother of two young children, the desire to protect their childhood and maintain some sense of normality has remained central throughout her diagnosis and treatment.

“Nothing stopped for them. That’s what I want, normality, just back to business,” she said.

Jane spent two and a half weeks in New York for the operation, which involved the removal of her gallbladder and the insertion of a Hepatic Arterial Infusion (HAI) pump. The specialist device delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver, allowing treatment to target the disease in that organ.

The operation also removed the tumours identified in her colon during earlier scans, offering an encouraging development in an otherwise challenging situation.

“They removed all of the tumours they could initially see on the scans from my colon. It’s amazing to think that even one area is essentially cancer-free at the moment,” Jane said.

“Now we just focus on the big baddy in the liver. The treatment that I’m getting now is just going to blast it, as they say. It’s targeted treatment.”

While the surgery went well, Jane knows that the road ahead remains demanding. She is receiving chemotherapy at St James’s Hospital in Dublin and will need to return to New York regularly for further specialist treatment. Doctors hope that, depending on her response, she may undergo a second and possibly a third operation to remove affected portions of her liver.

“I am just on my way back from Dublin. I was in with my oncologist because I’m going back on the systemic chemotherapy,” she said.

“I have another journey ahead of me now. It’s a bit daunting, starting this and having to go through the chemo treatments while travelling. But it just has to be done.”

The financial burden of accessing treatment in America has been considerable. The initial surgery alone cost more than €200,000, and there are further costs associated with ongoing medical care, flights and accommodation.

“That was a huge shock. They talk about how costly medical procedures are in America, but we were in shock when we actually heard the reality of it. It was something else,” Jane said.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help meet the costs of her treatment and the months of travel ahead. Any money raised beyond what is required for Jane’s medical care and related expenses will be donated to the Irish Cancer Society.

Despite the enormity of the challenge, Jane has approached her diagnosis with a determination to concentrate on what needs to be done.

“I knew absolutely nothing – nothing about cancer seven months ago. Thankfully, I didn’t need to. In a way, I’m looking at it like a job. It’s just something that I have to do and I’m in the thick of it now. Hopefully there’s an end goal in sight and that’s what I have to focus on.”

Sharing her diagnosis publicly was not an immediate decision. Jane wanted to speak to her son about what was happening before making the information public, particularly as she tried to protect him over the summer.

However, having spent around 20 years sharing aspects of her life online through her business, she eventually felt that opening up about her experience could help others.

“I have a small platform and I thought it was something I could do to just try and raise even a little bit of awareness,” she said.

“It wasn’t until I shared it that I realised how many people, young people, have been affected in some way, be it themselves or a partner.”

Jane admitted she had initially believed her diagnosis was unusual, but was shocked by the number of people who contacted her with their own experiences of cancer affecting younger people.

Her greatest motivation, however, remains her family.

“I genuinely feel I’m just doing what any mother would in this situation. The mam factor and the fight in me. It’s all for my kids, there’s just no other options here,” she said.

“I want to sit down in 10 years’ time and tell them this story of what we overcame as a family and how they helped me beat this.”

Throughout the ordeal, the support of the Mullingar community has been a constant source of comfort. Neighbours, friends, relatives, local organisations and people who have never met Jane have all offered assistance.

“We have just had an outpouring of love, kindness and generosity. It is incredible,” she said.

“I moved home from Dublin three years ago, and I just feel that something was bringing me home.”

She spoke warmly of the support provided by Loman’s GAA club, her children’s school and childcare providers, as well as family members and neighbours who have helped ensure Georgia and Jackson can continue with their everyday lives.

“It’s a comfort not having to worry about your children when you’re away, when you’re going through something like this. Just knowing they’re happy, and they’re sheltered from all this.”

SMOKIE CONCERT

That support will be further demonstrated on December 18, when rock legends Smokie come to the Mullingar Park Hotel for a charity concert in aid of Jane’s treatment.

The band, known for hits including Living Next Door to Alice, Needles and Pins and Oh Carol, have generously offered their services for the fundraising event. Jane’s father, Tommy Swarbrigg, has promoted Smokie’s Irish tours for more than 40 years.

The Mullingar Park Hotel is donating the venue hire, while country music star Robert Mizzell will perform as support.

All proceeds will go towards Jane’s GoFundMe campaign to help fund her ongoing treatment in the United States.

As she recovers from surgery and prepares to resume chemotherapy, Jane is determined to keep looking forward.

“I’ve come home, I’m recovering really well, and I’m walking my son to school every morning. It’s a miracle, there are miracles happening as we speak,” she said.

“I’m just going to try and keep this positive attitude as I start in the next journey and the next rounds of chemo. Look forward to 2027 and what’s around the corner and hopefully things can just get better for us now.”

• Tickets for the Smokie charity concert on December 18 cost €39.50 and are available at ticketnow.ie and from the Mullingar Park Hotel.