Cork County Board chairperson Tracey Kennedy has opened up about her "traumatic" cancer experience and how the GAA helped her through it.
Speaking as part of Centra's #WeAreHurling series, Kennedy has stated how the GAA was a "wonderful thing" at the difficult time in her life.
"So I was diagnosed with cancer in 2015," says Kennedy.
"It was a pretty traumatic experience, but I was very lucky and looking back I see how lucky I was because I was diagnosed at a very early stage. had surgery in September of 2015 but luckily I'm progressing well now.
"I'm quite comfortable speaking about it and I know that there are many women out there who have suffered cancer experiences and are not comfortable speaking about it.
"So I feel that I should, as much as I can.
My involvement with the GAA, as I think it has been at other difficult times of my life, was a wonderful thing.
"I still have a box of well-wished at home, you know. They were sent to me by members of the GAA community at the time.
"And again [it] highlights the good that being involved in the GAA can be even at a very difficult time in your life.
Kennedy, the first female chair of Cork County Board, has also revealed how her trailblazing role has inspired others.
"At the start I didn't realise, maybe, the impact that my involvement was having on women.
"But so many women have come to me and contacted me and said how proud they are to have a woman taking on a role like this, and it does inspire them and I hope it does."