West Donegal cancer survivor urges Letterkenny shops to cater more for patients

A West Donegal cancer survivor says shops in Letterkenny should be catering more for cancer patients.   

Ashlene Finneagan from Killult says her own experience of undergoing cancer treatment opened her eyes to the lack of accessories for cancer patients in Donegal shops. 

“Not one shop in Letterkenny stocks chemo hats or bandanas for cancer patients,” she says.  “When you order these hats online, you could be waiting three to four weeks. Sometimes then when they arrive, there could be something wrong with them, such as they could be too big for you. You should be able to go into a shop, choose from a selection like you would with socks or underwear.” 

Ashlene was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2024 and had to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.  Her cancer journey inspired her to post regular videos about her treatment on Facebook. Her videos have been viewed by thousands since. Although she finished with her treatment in February, she still posts about her recovery and the issues she continues to face in the aftermath.  

Like many other cancer patients, Ashlene lost her hair during treatment. She highlighted that getting nice headwear is one of the problems she still faces.  

“A lot of these chemo hats look like swimming caps. I sometimes hate wearing some of mine,” she adds. “I am brave enough to go out and about bald, but there are a lot of people who are not and are very self-conscious about going out in public with no wig or hat.” 

“It should be a priority of some shops in Donegal to have a section dedicated to accessories for cancer patients. These are things that could make so many people feel better.” 

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Another issue raised by Ashlene is the lack of shops in Donegal offering mastectomy and post-surgery bras. McElhinney's Department Store in Ballybofey is the only shop that offers this service in the county. 

“You are given two bras before your surgery," she says. "These are the only two bras you can wear for six weeks post-surgery. If you want to get another one, you have to go to McElhinney's- which is an hour and a half drive away from me and many others alike. This is another thing that more shops should be availing to customers, particularly in Letterkenny.”