An inspirational Ballykeel woman will feature in the next UTV ‘Up Close’.
The next episode of UTV’s award winning current affairs programme investigates cancer services in Northern Ireland against the backdrop of the pandemic and the plans for overhaul, speaking to senior surgeons, politicians and charity heads about the 10 year cancer strategy launched earlier this year.
The programme also speaks to patients and families about their own personal experiences, including Alison Graham from Ballykeel.
Alison, a 59 year old mother of three, tells presenter Alison Fleming of showing symptoms in late 2019 and despite visits to the doctor and deteriorating health, she remained undiagnosed when the pandemic hit.
Not knowing when she would get an appointment, she decided to see specialists privately in June 2020, and was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer which had spread to her lungs.
She said: “I was told I would have six months. So if I hadn't actually gone at that stage and had to wait, I probably wouldn't be here.”
Presenter Alison Fleming said: “Thank you to Alison for being so brave in telling her story – she’s a remarkable and inspirational woman and we hope that by sharing her experience, viewers will understand the stories behind the statistics.”
‘Up Close’ airs next Tuesday 27th September at 10.45pm on UTV. You can catch up afterwards on www.itv.com/utvprogrammes