In this deeply moving episode of A Life After Life, host Deborah Gaby Baker sits down with two extraordinary young women from Dublin — Michaela Dunphy and Carly Mahady — whose lives have been profoundly shaped by cancer.

Michaela shares the heartbreaking journey of her husband Dean, who was diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma brain tumour at just 31. From the terrifying moment of his first seizure on the motorway, to two brain surgeries, rounds of chemo and radiation, and a wedding that took place just days before his passing — Michaela's story is one of fierce love, unimaginable loss, and remarkable strength. Now a widow and mother to four-year-old Sloane, she has channelled her grief into the Dean Dunphy Fund, raising money for glioblastoma research in Ireland alongside Professor Annette Byrne's team at RCSI.

Carly tells her own story of being diagnosed with secretory carcinoma — an extremely rare breast cancer affecting just 0.01% of people — at 24. Despite being dismissed as a teenager when she first found a lump, Carly persisted, advocated for herself, and came out the other side after a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and IVF egg retrieval. Now nearly six years cancer-free, she is a passionate voice for self-checks, lowering mammogram age limits, and better aftercare for young women.

Together, these two women remind us that cancer doesn't discriminate by age — and that turning pain into purpose can change and save lives.

Content warning: This episode discusses cancer diagnosis, reoccurrence, palliative care, brain tumours, grief, and loss.

Timecodes:

TimeTopic
0:00 | Content warning & support resources
0:32 | Welcome & introduction of Michaela Dunphy and Carly Mahady
1:27 | Overview: the Dean Dunphy Fund and Carly's awareness work
2:08 | What A Life After Life is about
2:35 | Michaela's story begins — growing up in Ballyfermot, meeting Dean
3:03 | Miscarriage and early anxiety
4:12 | Lockdown, saving for a house, baby Sloane arrives
4:34 | Dean's first seizure while driving
7:02 | Michaela learns something is wrong at work
8:13 | Dean in A&E — fighting to be seen
11:26 | Hospital stay and MRI with contrast
12:15 | The phone call — something found on the brain
13:05 | Transferred to Beaumont, awaiting biopsy
15:10 | Surgery on 23rd August — biopsy and tumour removal
18:00 | The diagnosis: glioblastoma brain cancer
20:04 | "This cancer is not curable"
20:31 | Second surgery to remove remaining cells
22:40 | Treatment — 40+ rounds of radiation, 6 months of chemo
22:54 | "You have no control over your life" — deciding to get married
23:57 | Dean's seizure the day before the stag party
24:44 | The wedding — Dean in a wheelchair, overwhelmed with emotion
26:47 | Wedding night seizure; Dean on morphine pump
29:21 | Dean's final moments — he opened his eyes one last time
29:44 | A striking detail: Dean was born and died at the same time, on a Wednesday
31:02 | Setting up the Dean Dunphy Fund for glioblastoma research
33:25 | Meeting Prof. Annette Byrne at RCSI — clinical trials in Ireland
35:28 | Carly and Michaela reflect on each other's journeys
38:46 | Carly's story begins — diagnosed at 24 in October 2019
39:12 | Finding a lump at 16; dismissed by GP
41:05 | New GP sends Carly to breast clinic; biopsy
43:00 | Receiving the diagnosis on holiday
46:43 | Secretory carcinoma — 0.01% of people worldwide; a childhood cancer
48:10 | Mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and IVF egg retrieval
51:26 | Life after cancer — lack of aftercare; interest in becoming a counsellor
52:52 | Carly's message: please check your breasts; self-checks save lives
54:52 | Closing reflections — Deborah on both women's impact
56:27 | Final thank yous and sign-off
57:00 | Disclaimer

www.idonate.ie/crowdfunder/thedeandunphyfund