She Knew Before the Doctors Did. Carly Mahady on Cancer, Being Dismissed & Why Pity Never Saved Anyone.

At 16, Carly Mahady found a lump and was told she was fine. At 22, she noticed something else, and this time the doctors listened. What followed was a diagnosis of secretory carcinoma, a cancer so rare only 0.02% of people in the world have it, a mastectomy scheduled for her 25th birthday, chemotherapy during COVID, and a fight that most people never saw the full picture of.

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Carly for one of the most honest, funniest and most unexpectedly deep conversations Made in Chaos has ever had, about identity, illness, ADHD, avoidance and what it really means to come back as yourself.

What we get into:

  • Noticing a lump at 16 and being completely dismissed by her GP
  • How she decoded the body language of medical staff before they said a word
  • The man in the suit — how she figured out the waiting room system before anyone told her
  • Being diagnosed with secretory carcinoma: 0.02% of the world, no clear playbook
  • Scheduling her mastectomy on her 25th birthday and why she insisted
  • When the cancer spread to her lymph nodes — the second blow
  • Chemotherapy during COVID and finding genuine joy on the ward
  • Whether suppressed emotion and carried resentment caused her cancer — and why she believes it did
  • Pity vs results: you can have one, but you can't have both
  • ADHD, object permanence, protective pessimism and being violently avoidant of herself
  • Why she stopped talking about her cancer online — and what people misunderstood about that
  • Trauma porn, oversharing and finding the right delivery for a story that's still yours

Ryan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into wisdom worth sharing.

Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis

🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

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