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Faces of Galway 85/100

Meet Teresa from Glasnevin.

After qualifying in Media Communications, Teresa started out working in Children's T.V. The quirky unpredictable nature of this would help her years later when one of her news reports unexpectedly went viral. Best known as a well-respected RTE News reporter, Teresa is now often confused for a weather woman. Her live news broadcast during Storm Desmond, from the Prom in Salthill, changed Teresa's celebrity status.  Ironically she wasn't thinking too much about her wind-swept, rain soaked appearance as she implored the audience to stay safe during the storm. She was instead thinking about the quality of the new technology that allowed her to report live in the height of a storm. Immediately after the broadcast a local pub owner came out and offered herself and the cameraman tea and sandwiches, and a chance to warm up before they went back out again for the 9 O' Clock broadcast. Teresa had no idea the within 24 hours her report would become a global sensation. Dance remixes and multiple edits of her report were shared hundreds of thousands of times on the internet. How Teresa reacted by embracing the joke is a true testament to who she is. 

Teresa sees the world in colour. Hard times and set backs are embraced rather then fought against. This spectrum of colour always allows her an alternative, positive way to approach a situation. Like every woman in the country when she turned fifty she received a letter offering her a free mammogram. With no family history to worry about she ignored the letter for six months. When she did get the check done an aggressive form of cancer was found. It was a 'dot" of cancer and one that would luckily end up being removed and treated with a series of chemotherapy. She remained positive and holds onto how lucky she is that it was discovered early. After her viral broadcast she was asked to do many interviews and she used them as a chance to encourage woman to get breast checks. 

Teresa was most recently invited to take part in RTE's inaugural "Dancing with the Stars". Having no dance experience she was terrified but didn't want to let fear rule her actions. That confident woman we saw week after week was shaking during her performances. Even though she didn't expect to get as far as she did, she now misses the glitz, glamour and camaraderie of the show. Not being afraid to take a risk has paid off. Teresa tries not to worry about small things in life and wants to approach each opportunity with a sense of fun and positivity. We look forward to seeing what the future brings next for Teresa.