Bowel cancer campaigner Natasha O’Byrne dies aged 26

The mother​-of​-two drew attention for people of all ages to get tested for bowel cancer.

The mother​-of​-two from Blackpool passed away on Tuesday, December 23, at Cork University Hospital.

Ms O’Byrne, who was originally from Innishannon, spoke about her cancer diagnoses with the Irish Examiner earlier this year in a bid to draw attention for people of all aged to get tested for bowel cancer.

The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) has said that bowel cancer is the second most common cancer among men and the third most common among women, reporting nearly 2,500 new cases every year in Ireland.

While the disease is less common in younger people, around one in 10 diagnoses are now in those under 50, with younger diagnoses are becoming a more common occurrence.

Ms O'Byrne was recently one of the main organisers of the ICS's Concert For Cancer which was headlined by Nathan Carter.

She was the third generation in her family to be diagnosed with cancer, her mother passing away from the disease in 2020.

In June, she commented: "Between my grandmother and my mom, the ICS have been a part of our family since the early 2000s, so we’re just trying to raise as much money for them as possible.

"(The concert)​ will go toward clinical trials, night nurses for palliative care, and volunteers who transport chemotherapy patients to and from treatment. We want as many people to survive cancer as possible.” 

Diagnosed last November, the 26-year-old said realising she had the disease was traumatic.

She promptly began chemotherapy to 'attack the cancer as quickly as they could'.

“For myself, my own mental health, my kids, I focus more on the positives. It doesn’t mean blocking out the negative, though. It’s OK to sit and deal with the negative, too, but in small doses.

“I learned in counselling to make sure I’m not diverting my attention away from the negative completely, but equally, you’re dealing with it in a healthy manner," she explained.

Promoting the Concert For Cancer on the ICS website earlier this year, she wrote: “I find myself in my mid-20s living with bowel cancer. It’s very hard to take but you have to get on with it.

“For that day to come when hopefully nobody gets cancer, organisations like the Irish Cancer Society need funding so they can invest more and more in cancer research.

​"That’s why I decided to organise the ‘Concert for Cancer’ and I’m absolutely thrilled that Nathan Carter will be performing to raise vital funds for the Irish Cancer Society.” 

Ms O'Byrne is survived by her husband Rad, her children Emilija and Max, her father Anthony, brother Roy, grandmother Marie and mother-in-law Jasenka.

Her family requested that anyone attending her funeral mass tomorrow, Saturday December 27, wear bright colours in her honour.

They wrote on RIP.ie that Ms O'Byrne will be 'sadly missed by her loving family, aunts, uncles, grandaunts, granduncles, cousins, neighbours and a large circle of friends'.