Comedian Deirdre O’Kane has opened up about the darkest low point of her husband Stephen’s cancer – admitting they didn’t know whether he would live or die after he was diagnosed.
Director Stephen Bradley – who has been married to the Louth native for 22 years – was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016.
Deirdre recalled the dark weekend they had together after receiving his diagnosis, admitting they didn’t know what his survival rate would be.
Read More: Aslan issue update on health of frontman Christy Dignam after 'tough time'
She said: “There was one very dark weekend where we didn’t really know if he was going to live or die.
“That was the beginning of his diagnosis when you didn’t know what you’re dealing with.
“But after that weekend a doctor said to him: ‘I don’t know if you’re going to be that lucky, but we are going to treat it as curable.’ That’s all he needed to hear to fight.”
But she admitted Stephen “went to the edge” of his diagnosis.
“Stephen went to the edge. It was a very scary place. And it was scary for me too. You don’t know what you’re dealing with.
“You’re facing your mortality. It doesn’t get more brutal. It is absolutely the edge, you know? And Stephen went there.”
Deirdre revealed she used to cry in the car on the way to her comedy gigs but said it made her feel good.
“I never cried when I came offstage. It was the opposite. I felt good. I found the work to be helpful. I had to compartmentalise and switch off for those couple of hours. So it was actually therapeutic to do it,” she told the Sunday Independent’s People and Culture magazine.
She revealed that in 2018, right before she was to walk out of stage on Dancing With The Stars, Stephen had his final bout of chemo.
He pulled through. It was a fantastic feeling. But until the last step – the last chemo, the last radiation, the last operation – you can’t say: ‘You’ve done it.
“Stephen literally had his last chemo when I took to the stage.”
READ NEXT:
- Ana Kriegel killer Boy B joins accomplice in adult prison after turning 18
- Man, 30s, arrested after woman found dead in Meath apartment
- Ireland weather: Met Eireann five-day forecast predicts sunny spells but polar twist once sun goes down
- Notorious gang boss found dead in Swords hostel with €50k of heroin after suspected overdose
- Donald Trump warned of fine or prison spell after fencing issue on Doonbeg hotel and course
To get the latest news right now, visit our homepage
