Ciara Mageean has opened up about her stage four bowel cancer diagnosis, embracing gallows humour as she continues to fight the illness

Advertisement

Irish Olympian Ciara Mageean has opened up about her experience coming to terms with a stage four cancer diagnosis.

The athlete received the devastating news last year that she had bowel cancer, with a consultant delivering the heartbreaking prognosis on Christmas Eve that she may only have two to three years left to live.

Since undergoing chemotherapy, the Portaferry woman has received more positive updates, with the majority of her cancer cells found to have become inactive. Having recently completed a further six cycles of chemotherapy, Ciara is resolute that the illness will not consume her entire life.

“Stressing and worrying about it isn’t going to change it,” she told the Irish Times. “You’re so entitled to those emotions obviously. But you could lose yourself to it.

“I don’t know what this journey is going to look like. I don’t know at what point I’m going to get sick. As soon as I got that diagnosis, I felt like the grim reaper was on my shoulder and I didn’t know if I was going to be dead in a matter of months.

“[Her long term partner] Tommy and I are engaged but we’ve never had any rush on the wedding. But now I was like, ‘Do we need to get a move on here?’”.

“Because I don’t want to be that girl who looks like a skeleton on her wedding day. Or having to be in a hospital bed with Tommy beside me and me in a wedding dress in the hospital bed. I want it to be a normal day.”

While Ciara continues to come to terms with the harsh reality of her situation, she has also found a way to use dark humour to help her through the toughest of times.

“I’ll be sitting on the couch and I’ll be like, ‘F**k. I might be dead in two years.’ I certainly won’t … well, I don’t want to say certainly but I probably won’t make my 40th birthday. Like, that’s f**king rough,” she said.

“But we’re planning this wedding and I can’t help but think, ‘The poor lad’s going to be left a widower in his 30s.’ And then I’m like, ‘Sure then he’s going to be a bit old! It’s going to be hard for him to find a new partner!’ I say to him, ‘Here, you can’t move on from me too fast …’”.

“People probably are like, ‘I can’t believe you’re saying that.’ But I need to make light of it. It helps cope with the genuine worry that I’m going to leave him on his own.

“We’ve been together for 13 years and you think that you’re going to have your whole life together.”

Poppleton Beer Festival is gearing up for the last instalment of its 14th annual event, held at the village football club in Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton, today (Saturday, June 13).

Visitors can try 66 different beers from the likes of Oakham, Titanic, Brew York, New Bristol, Trig, Bini, Timothy Taylor’s and more.

The popular beer festival is now in its 14th year (Image: Poppleton Beer Festival)

These are complimented by 11 keg beers (for £5 a pint), including lager, pilsner, sour, NEIPA and stout, plus ciders, Pimm’s, prosecco, wine and gin.

Recommended reading:

Live bands – including The 40 Thieves Band – are set to perform throughout the day, which will begin at 12pm and last until 11pm.

Visitors can try 66 different beers on offer, including 11 keg beers for £5 a pint (Image: Poppleton Beer Festival)

The day, which is set to remain dry with highs of 17 degrees Celsius, has been organised for all the family to enjoy – with lots of activities including a climbing wall, inflatables, tunnels, football darts, games and stalls for the children.

Visitors can bring along a chair and picnic blanket to enjoy the day – and are advised to being something warm for later in the evening when temperatures will cool.

Live bands, including The 40 Thieves Band, will be performing until 11pm (Image: Poppleton Beer Festival)

Tickets are still available for £14 per adult, with children under 10 going free.

They can be found here.

The former director of recruiting for the University of Hawai‘i’s football program claims she faced discrimination from her bosses and coworkers after revealing she had been diagnosed with narcolepsy, even though she never fell asleep on the job, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit reviewed by The Independent.

However, Ella Devenny says in her complaint that she routinely saw male colleagues sleeping during meetings, travel, and other team-related activities without ever facing “comparable scrutiny, criticism, or disability-related assumptions.”

Devenny, who handled recruiting, football operations, logistics, travel and administrative functions in support of the football program at UH’s flagship Mānoa campus, “repeatedly” voiced concerns about the alleged disability discrimination, along with purported gender discrimination, to the public university’s leadership, including the team’s general manager and head coach Timmy Chang, the complaint states.

But, it goes on, “Rather than adequately investigate or correct the conduct about which [Devenny] complained, [UH] subjected [her] to increased scrutiny, public criticism, disciplinary actions, exclusion from responsibilities and opportunities associated with her position, and ultimately the decision to end [her] employment with the football program.”

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that impacts the brain’s ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles, and can cause sufferers to fall asleep very suddenly, without warning. It is considered a covered disability under the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The exact cause of narcolepsy remains unknown, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In her self-filed complaint, Devenny alleges that the university has “attempted to characterize [her] separation as the routine expiration of a temporary appointment and as the result of performance deficiencies,” which she calls “false, inconsistent, selectively applied, and pretextual,” maintaining that “discrimination and retaliation were substantial motivating factors” in her firing.

UH spokesman Dan Meisenzahl told The Independent that he had not been aware of Devenny’s suit until being contacted for comment on Friday, but declined to say anything further.

Devenny, who is now the assistant general manager for the Baylor University athletic program, in Waco, Texas, declined to comment beyond the allegations in the complaint.

Devenny, who graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2023, joined the University of Hawai‘i’s football program in April 2024 as the director of recruiting, following a season-long stint as an operations assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She is a member of the American Football Coaches Association and Women Leaders In College Sports, according to her UH bio.

Her complaint, which was filed June 5 in Hawaii federal court, says she relocated to Hawai’i for the UH job, and “invested substantial personal and financial resources in doing so.”

As recruiting director at UH, Devenny was responsible for overseeing recruiting operations, coordinating official visits, managing recruiting logistics, and supervising recruiting support personnel, her complaint states. She worked alongside General Manager Matt Chon, reported directly to head coach Chang, a former UH quarterback, and was the only woman in such a role, according to the complaint.

Amid her nine-month tenure at UH, Devenny discovered she was narcoleptic, and disclosed the diagnosis to higher-ups, the complaint continues. The condition didn’t have any effect on Devenny’s job performance, it says.

“Following disclosure of her disability, [Devenny] was subjected to repeated comments concerning sleeping, oversleeping, reporting to work on time, and concerns that she would sleep during work hours, despite the fact that [she] had not failed to report to work because of her narcolepsy and continued performing her assigned responsibilities,” the complaint goes on.

Yet, it says Devenny “observed male employees engage in conduct involving sleeping during meetings, travel, or recruiting-related activities without being subjected to comparable scrutiny, criticism, or disability-related assumptions.”

“[Devenny] also experienced incidents involving references to melatonin and other sleep-related topics that [she] reasonably perceived as mocking, minimizing, or drawing attention to her disability,” according to the complaint.

In various instances, Devenny was “publicly humiliated in front of coworkers and colleagues by Chon,” the complaint contends. After one such episode, Chon, the general manager, later told Devenny that he “had been under significant stress and had unfairly directed his frustration toward [her],” it says.

Devenny further claims to have experienced unequal treatment by the UH football program, as compared to “male employees with less responsibility, less authority, and lower compensation” than her. When traveling with the team, male coaches, staff, and graduate assistants were upgraded to first class and given their own hotel rooms, while Devenny flew coach and had to double up in hotels, the complaint states.

Additionally, Devenny alleges she was denigrated by male members of the football staff, including a recruiting intern who “repeatedly referred” to her as a “donkey” in front of students, and, at least once, called her a “c**t,” according to the complaint.

Devenny “found these comments offensive, degrading, and inappropriate,” the complaint says, adding that the intern’s behavior undermined her authority. So, she “escalated” her concerns to Chang, the head coach, according to the complaint.

Still, management took no substantive action, it asserts. Instead, it claims, Devenny – who says she had received only positive feedback about her work up to that point, and was apparently told by Chon that she was vital to the team’s recruitment success – was “subjected to increased scrutiny, micromanagement, public criticism, exclusion from opportunities, and other adverse treatment that she had not experienced prior to engaging in protected activity.”

On December 13, 2024, following her reports of harassment and discrimination, Devenny was informed that her employment contract was being terminated, the complaint states. It says she was increasingly marginalized during her last month of work, and that when she was formally let go, UH spun the firing as “the routine expiration of a temporary appointment.”

At the same time, the UH Title IX Office believed Devenny’s allegations were serious enough to investigate, and on March 12, 2026, the EEOC issued her a so-called Right to Sue determination. (Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on a person’s sex or gender.)

Devenny claims she has suffered, among other things, loss of employment, loss of income, loss of professional opportunities, emotional distress, anxiety, humiliation, and reputational harm. Her complaint says she “continues to suffer the effects of [UH’s] conduct.”

She is now seeking compensatory damages, back pay, front pay, and court costs, plus pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.

A scheduling conference is set for August 3.

The £1.5 million development will create 40 to 50 permanent jobs

A new Iceland foodstore has been approved for Bangor in North Down.

Councillors this week approved an application for retail use for a long vacant existing unit, as well as retrospective extension for storage, at retail warehouse unit 1, Lesley Bloomfield Shopping Centre and Retail Park, South Circular Road, Bangor.

The development will bring a £1.5million investment to Bangor, will initially create 15 construction jobs, and later approximately 40 to 50 permanent new jobs at the store. The permanent jobs are estimated to bring £4.2 million in Gross Value Added per year to the area.

READ MORE: Ards and North Down goes for youth as it votes new Lord Mayor and deputy

READ MORE: Council ‘acknowledges’ threat to community in Holywood from the film industry

Elected representatives at the Ards and North Down Borough Council Planning Committee this week went with the recommendation of officials to approve the application, by Maneely McCann. There were no objections from any of the statutory consultees, and the council received one letter of objection.

The site is an end unit, currently vacant within the Lesley Bloomfield Retail Park complex, just a mile to the south of Bangor city centre. The shopping centre was opened in the early 1990’s.

The council planning report states: “The proposal seeks retrospective permission for a rear extension for storage purposes only, to unit one of an existing warehouse retail unit, which currently has no designated storage area. The extension was completed in August 2025.

“The current use of the existing unit is for the sale of bulky goods. It is noted that previous tenants have occupied the unit for non-retail uses such as recreational (archery) – however this was without benefit of planning permission. The current proposal seeks a change of retail space within the building to allow for convenience and comparison goods.”

It adds: “The applicant, and named occupier being Iceland Food Warehouse, has set requirements to support their day-to-day operations. These include a 10,000 square feet store, conversion only, a single floorplate, a dedicated servicing area, a significant level of car parking with dedicated trolley bays, and visibility from key transport corridors, with limited obstruction.

“Findings of (an independent) review, which have been subsequently reviewed by the council’s own retail consultant, have concluded that there are no sequentially preferable sites to primary retail core, in the town centre or edge of centre locations of any of the towns, that are possible alternative sites. Any sites that exist would not meet the size or operational requirements of the proposal.”

Council officers added: “It is important to note that there is meaningful investment seemingly coming forward in the city centre in terms of proposals for the Queen’s Parade development, as well as the regeneration of the former Flagship Centre. The council’s consultant considers that the proposals are unlikely to prejudice planned public and private development in the city centre.”

They state: “It is considered that on balance the proposal is unlikely to result in direct store closures, whether considered solus or cumulatively. Whilst there is a concern for Bangor city centre, it is considered that the impacts would not reach a level of being ‘significantly adverse’.

“The council’s consultant has advised that the current health of Bangor City Centre should also be considered. Within the current assessment the vacancy rate within the city centre stands at 22 percent. This is considered as a strong indicator as to the vitality and viability of the town centre.”

They conclude: “The proposal will help ensure the competitive supply of additional discount convenience goods for Bangor and will ensure variety in the number and format of retailers in the town. It will add to the choice of food retailers in Bangor and broaden the retail offer to enhance value and increase competition in the local market.”

At the Planning Committee meeting in the council offices at Church Street Newtownards, DUP Councillor Alistair Cathcart proposed approval for the application. He said: “Members may remember I opposed the Lidl application that was there recently.

“I do also have concerns with approvals that were given for B and M, and also Poundstretcher, because I think they could have been in the town centre. Iceland had a facility in the Flagship, closed it, and was out for some time.

“I think the nature of Iceland’s application here, the nature of the frozen products, is more suited for cars. In terms of the expansion, it is not a new retail unit, and it is only for the storage element. Given all those factors, I see no reason to refuse, and I think having a well recognised brand locally will increase the shopper’s choice in Bangor, and create a good level of employment.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our
articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local
services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local
community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need
as much support as possible during these challenging times.

Two micrograms is an almost unimaginably small amount. It weighs less than a tiny fragment of a grain of table salt. Yet adults need only around this amount of vitamin B12 each day, depending on the guideline used, to support red blood cells, nerves and DNA production.

In 2026, it is 100 years since George Minot and William Murphy reported that a liver-rich diet could treat pernicious anaemia, then a frequently fatal disease. Their work transformed medicine and eventually led scientists to identify vitamin B12 as the substance in liver that treated the disease.

But the route to that breakthrough began with an unexpected clue from animal experiments. The American physician and pathologist George Whipple had shown that liver helped dogs recover from anaemia caused by blood loss. Blood-loss anaemia happens when the body loses red blood cells through bleeding. Pernicious anaemia is different: the problem is not bleeding, but poor absorption of vitamin B12. Even so, Whipple’s experiments pointed researchers towards liver as a source of a powerful blood-forming factor.

Patients with pernicious anaemia who had been close to death often improved dramatically within weeks of eating liver-rich diets. The success of liver treatment eventually led scientists to isolate the deep red compound now known as vitamin B12, or cobalamin.

Often mistaken

Despite decades of research, vitamin B12 deficiency remains common, particularly among older adults, vegans, vegetarians and people with conditions that affect absorption. Some people do not consume enough B12 because it is naturally found mainly in foods from animals, including meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Others struggle to absorb it properly.

This becomes more common with age. Some older people produce less stomach acid, which is needed to release B12 from food. Others develop autoimmune gastritis, in which the immune system damages stomach cells involved in producing acid and intrinsic factor, the protein needed for vitamin B12 absorption. Weight-loss surgery and some medicines used for diabetes or acid reflux can also reduce absorption.

The symptoms of deficiency can develop slowly and are often mistaken for normal ageing. People may feel exhausted, weak or short of breath. Some develop numbness or tingling in their hands and feet, poor balance, memory problems or what many describe as “brain fog”. These symptoms are not specific to B12 deficiency, so persistent tiredness, tingling or balance problems should be checked rather than assumed to be a simple vitamin problem.

People at higher risk, including vegans, vegetarians, older adults and those taking medicines that affect stomach acid or diabetes treatment, may need testing or supplementation advice from a health professional.

À lire aussi :
Vegan and vegetarian diets may lack certain nutrients – here’s how to get more of them

Doctors have traditionally linked tiredness in B12 deficiency to anaemia. Without enough vitamin B12, the bone marrow cannot produce healthy red blood cells. Instead, it releases unusually large and immature cells that carry oxygen less effectively around the body.

But anaemia may not be the only reason people with low B12 feel exhausted.

Low energy

In humans, vitamin B12 is directly needed by only two enzymes, the proteins that help chemical reactions happen in the body. One helps the body make DNA, which cells need when they divide. The other helps mitochondria process certain fats and protein building blocks. Mitochondria are the tiny structures inside cells that help turn food into usable energy.

This mitochondrial role has attracted growing interest from researchers studying ageing, muscle function and vitamin B12 status. A 2026 study explored what happens when cells do not have enough B12. Researchers found that low B12 could interfere with the DNA inside mitochondria and reduce energy production in laboratory models of skeletal muscle (muscle cells studied outside the human body).

A related study in aged female mice found that B12 supplementation improved several signs of mitochondrial health in muscle, including the number and structure of mitochondria. Together, this work points to one possible reason why some people with low B12 report fatigue before obvious anaemia is detected.

These findings do not mean vitamin B12 supplements can reverse ageing or act as an energy booster for people whose B12 levels are already normal.

Scientists have suspected a link between B12 and mitochondrial function for many years, because one of the two B12-dependent enzymes works inside mitochondria. Earlier research has also suggested that low B12 status may be linked with poorer muscle function in older adults, although much of this work is observational and cannot prove cause and effect.

So if you’re feeling persistently tired, is it worth paying for vitamin B12 injections at a wellness clinic or medispa? For most people, no. B12 injections are an established treatment for diagnosed deficiency, particularly when absorption is impaired, and the NHS uses hydroxocobalamin injections for vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia.

But there is little evidence that B12 shots boost energy, weight loss or performance in people whose B12 levels are already normal. The more useful first step is to find out what is causing the tiredness.

The story of vitamin B12 is unusual because the body needs so little of it, yet the consequences of deficiency can be profound. Long before scientists understood its chemistry, doctors recognised that something in liver could restore strength, appetite and vitality to desperately ill patients.

A century later, researchers are still finding that this tiny cobalt-containing molecule does more than prevent anaemia. It may also help explain how cells maintain energy and function as the body ages.

Dubbing it a “chaos initiative”, the government, other political parties, business leaders and trade unions argue it will deprive hospitals and hotels of much needed staff, and damage hard-won relations with the European Union, leaving non-EU member Switzerland isolated in a very risky world.