Derry woman on mission to raise awareness about oesophageal cancer

Derry’s Joanne O’Hagan is on a mission to raise awareness about oesophageal cancer following the death of her husband Joe four years ago.

Speaking to The Derry News, Joanne vividly recalled Joe’s diagnosis on May 10, 2019.

“Joe had no signs or no symptoms of oesophageal cancer really. All he had was a sore throat. Men being men, I got him an appointment with the doctor. They checked him out, did bloods, did a chest x-ray and everything came back clear. After a couple of weeks he was grand,” recalled Joanne. “He never mentioned anything.”

“We then went over to visit my son and in England and we went out for something to eat, Joe started to get sick. Anytime he ate, he seemed to bring it back up again. So, when we came home, he got an emergency appointment.

“He was sent for the camera test and after it we were just taken into a room and told Joe had Stage 4 oesophageal cancer. He was only 52.

“It was just a whirlwind after that with treatment and covid. Joe got a wee break and then it literally came back full force and even though he received chemo and radium treatment, it just took him out.

“The thing about it was, just two weeks before he was diagnosed, Joe was climbing mountains - he would have been a big mountain climber. He had no tiredness, no weight loss, no heartburn, no difficulty swallowing. The only symptom was that he was getting sick when he ate, two weeks after the initial tests came back clear. Once they did the camera test, they saw it. that is the only way they can test for oesophageal cancer.”

In order to mark Joe’s first anniversary, Joanne and her sons, some of Joe’s friends and some family members climbed Croagh Patrick in County Mayo.

“Joe had always wanted me to climb Croagh Patrick with him,” said Joanne, “so we thought we would do it as a fundraiser. We had heard about the charity OG Cancer NI, so we donated the money raised to that”.

Joanne then discovered that only 2% of the population knows the signs and symptoms of oesophageal cancer.

“That’s when I decided to volunteer with OG Cancer NI and try to raise awareness about the disease,” she said.

“I started giving out leaflets and did a few talks, one in the North West Regional College and one in Leafair Men’s Group. I put up posters in health centres. I was also on Radio Foyle speaking about oesophageal cancer.

“Staff from OG Cancer NI, which is based in Belfast, have also come to Derry to do wellness events. In fact, we are hosting a wellness event in Altnagelvin Hospital’s MDEC Building, in November from 10.30am to 1.00pm.

“One of my main drivers is fundraising for OG Cancer NI to support the services in Derry. That is why I abseiled down Croke Park last year. When Joe died, I thought, ‘You know what, life can just change in an instant’ so I did my bucket list.
My next fundraiser is a sky dive, with my nephew, Rory Kirk, in Garvagh on October 25, 2025. I have set up an online fundraiser for that event on GoFundMe.

“I have also started an oesophageal cancer support group in Derry. We meet every couple of months, on a Saturday morning, in Foyle Arena.

“I always post the details of the meetings on my Instagram page: fightagainstoesophagealcancer. I also have a WhatsApp group where anyone who needs anything can contact me and I will try and help,” said Joanne, who added she was determined to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of oesophageal cancer.

“Oesophageal cancer can be prevented or treated a lot earlier if people know the signs and symptoms,” said Joanne, “that is why I want to keep the support group and awareness raising here in Derry”.

Joanne urged people to look out for: “Persistent heartburn, everyday, sometimes it is like hiccups as well, which might last for two weeks or more.

“Then there is also food not going down or coming back up again or a person having difficulty in swallowing food. Other symptoms include: unexplained weightloss, feeling full and not being able to eat or feeling full even though a person has not eaten a lot.

“There are people lucky enough to have oesophageal cancer detected early enough. It is one of the less survivable cancers that is why we are trying to get as much awareness as we can. People should get checked and be persistent.”

Joanne can be contacted through her Instagram page: fightagainstoesophagealcancer.

OG Cancer NI can be contacted at: info@ogcancerni.com or www.ogcancerni.com.