'I'm fortunate I survived a stage 4 diagnosis when so many didn't make it'

'I'm fortunate I survived a stage 4 diagnosis when so many didn't make it'Image caption, Lynette McHendry is now eight years in breast cancer remissionByMarie-Louise ConnollyHealth correspondent, BBC News NIPublished29 July 2026, 00:00 BSTIt's been a decade of treatments, trials and many tears for Lynette McHendry – but also hope and resilience.Diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer 10 years ago, aged 37, she has defied the odds to face down a disease that made her feel "invisible", while also fighting for access to the treatment that ultimately saved her life, but was not available to her in Northern Ireland.Ten years ago, a stage four cancer diagnosis may have felt like a "death sentence," but Lynette's story also points towards the advancements in treatment and drugs, which she believes will allow more women to live longer with the disease."I am fortunate to have survived a stage four diagnosis when so many of my friends and patients I met along the way didn't make it," she said.One of those friends was Julie Ann Lillis, who died in 2023.She, Lynette and Anne McBrien were part of a group called Beaconbridge which called for a special audit of how many women in Northern Ireland were living with stage four breast cancer.'Traumatic wait' for women facing breast cancer diagnosesPublished19 November 2025Only 3.5% of urgent breast cancer referrals seen within target timePublished15 January'It was awful waiting on my diagnosis': NI cancer cases hit record highPublished23 AprilThat audit, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, continues to help shape policy, treatment, and services."I think over the last 10 years things have improved substantially for women like Lynette and I'm optimistic about the future," said Stuart McIntosh, a professor of surgical oncology at Queen's University Belfast.Image caption, Stuart McIntosh says "over the last 10 yea...