"Why I Relay" - Ciara Hughes
My journey to Relay started in 2020, when in the midst of the Covid pandemic I started toying with the idea of leaving the corporate world behind to do something more meaningful with my career.
I saw a job post to work on Corporate Partnerships at The Irish Cancer Society and thought it was the perfect opportunity to transition into working in the non-profit space.
Around the same time I found out a friend of mine was diagnosed with Breast Cancer so it really felt like the right decision, not only would I be supporting a cause I cared about but there was now a very personal reason to want to work for an organization that has a vision for a future where no one in Ireland will die from cancer.
After a very happy two years working with some amazing people on the Corporate Team the opportunity to manage the Relay For Life Campaign came up.
I had heard about Relay For Life but hadn’t been to an event at that point. Once I started looking into it a bit more I was intrigued. I remember thinking it sounded like one of the most beautiful experiences and it was, and still is amazing to me that these events are organised by a team of incredibly generous Relay For Life committees and volunteers all across the country, who dedicate so much of their own time and effort into creating something so very special in their local communities.
I remember attending my very first Relay For Life event and being completely blown away. I’d heard so many times “you have to be there to experience the magic” and truer words have never been spoken. There is a magic at Relay that’s hard to put into words. It’s a place for communities to come together, to share stories, to laugh, to cry, and to find hope in difficult times. Hope for better treatments, hope for better support services, and hope for a future free from this disease.
After a summer of attending Relay events all across the country in 2023 and meeting some truly inspirational people, each with their own incredible stories to share, I am even more determined to grow Relay For Life, so that no matter where you live in the country, communities will have an opportunity to come together to experience this wonderful event together.
My lovely friend sadly passed away in 2023 which made the Candle of Hope ceremony all that more real and raw. I was reminded of why we Relay - to celebrate survivorship, to remember all those that have passed and to come together to take a stand against this disease that takes so much from us.
Our ambition is to have a Relay For Life event in every county in Ireland I couldn’t be more honoured and excited to be a part of this journey and to see where we can take Relay For Life in 2024 and beyond.
I truly believe that the day will come where 10 out of 10 people will survive their cancer diagnosis and seeing the power of the Relay For Life, committees, volunteers and communities in action makes me really hopeful that this is something we can achieve in our lifetime.
