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LAST WEEK, GALWAY woman Maureen Allman contacted The Late Late Show with a proposition.

She sent a video into RTÉ and her idea was simple: to come on the show to share her story.

“Just because cancer is in my life, I try not to let it affect my quality of life”

And last night, Maureen made her appearance on the show to talk about her life and Galway Hospice – and she was a revelation to the viewers.

In Ryan Tubridy’s introduction, he outlined why Maureen was a must-feature last night

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He said:

Just over a week ago, I watched this video sent to the programme by my next guest that made all of us smile despite its terribly sad underlying message. Despite living with a terminal cancer diagnosis, she’s the most positive and alive person you could hope to meet – and she wants to use every minute of the time she has left to be good to herself and to those she loves.

And Maureen started off with her admirably positive attitude that she’d keep throughout the night:

“I’m terminally ill but I’m not dying yet”

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“I have no intention of dying every morning when I wake up – it’s all about living my life”

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She told viewers of her diagnosis for pancreatic cancer back in 2014 and about her journey up until this point. When she left the hospital last year after some treatment, the staff told her to go home and treat herself to something nice like a handbag – but she was having none of that:

“So I decided that I’d get myself and engagement ring”

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She confirmed to Ryan that she has never been married, but that it was something she definitely wanted to buy:

I decided I was 49 years of age, I had pancreatic cancer, I didn’t have anybody permanently in my life and I’d never really had any major desire to get married but I decided that, you know, if everybody else can have an engagement ring I can have one too.

“I absolutely love wearing it”

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Those watching at home could only admire her

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Then at the end of the interview, Maureen’s daughter Sinead joined her on the couch, and Maureen took up the host’s hotseat

Including an offer for Ryan to help out with the funeral.

Maureen was universally acknowledged as an inspirational hero

It was a bittersweet and lovely interview

That gave perspective to so many people watching

Her final words about what she wanted from life in the next while were marvellous and a fitting end to The Late Late:

Honestly, to get up in the morning and go to bed at night, have no regrets in between and be able to close my eyes and sleep well. That’s a good day for me.

You can catch the full interview in the final segment of The Late Late Show on the RTÉ Player.

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