Majella O’Donnell has been seen as an inspiration in recent months for the way she has dealt with breast cancer, including shaving her head live on The Late Late Show.
However, Majella, married to Donegal crooner Daniel O’Donnell, insists she is not ‘brave’ but ‘open and honest’ about the challenges she has faced throughout her battle with cancer.
In a recent interview with Women’s Way, Majella said “I feel a little bit that I don’t deserve all the accolades I’m getting because for me, it was a simple thing to do.
“Being open and honest is who I am so it’s a very natural thing.
“When people say, ‘you’re brave’ or ‘you’re this or you’re that,’ I squirm a bit and think, ‘I’m not really, that’s just me’.”
Majella shaved her hair live on The Late Late Show
The 53-year-old also said that she wanted to discuss her experience with cancer openly, in the same way she spoke about dealing with depression.
“I’ve spoken about depression before… depression, cancer, I’ve had both of them. It should be a normal thing, I’ve suffered from depression but I’m not incapacitated by it.
“I still get on with my life and this is how I cope with it and if it helps somebody else, all the better.
“I feel it’s the right thing to do if you’ve got a [public] voice and say, ‘Don’t worry about it.’”
Majella may not be comfortable with being called an inspiration but her words definitely ring true for so many women, dealing with cancer, depression, or who simply want to be told that things will be ok.
