"Why I Relay" - Patty O'Connor
Growing up, cancer was always part of our family. Not a nice thing to say but unfortunately it is the reality, like a lot of families. I’ve lost family members & friends to the disease & have had other family members battle it & overcome it. So having volunteered with Irish Cancer Societys Daffodil Days & Pink Ribbon Days, I first became involved with the Relay back in 2017 when it was in its 2nd year as part of a work team. Safe to say I caught the bug then & have been involved in some way or other ever since.
In 2023, when teams were invited to sign up, I decided to put a team in myself in honour of my Dad Dessie O’Rourke who we lost to Lung Cancer on 23rd December 2022. I put it out to the family & friends, very conscious it was so early & emotions so raw but I really wanted to do it. I didn’t even care if I had to do the 24hrs on my own at that stage, I wanted to do it. But by the time Relay came around I had a team of 40+ superstars who joined me & Team Doing it for Dessie was born. Dad was a very private man & he got through his gruelling treatments without any fuss, never complaining, he just accepted whatever came his way. When he was finally told on 8th December that he could have no further treatment, his reply was “but I’ll try anything & if it doesn’t help me it might help somebody else”. Sadly, it was too late for Dad & he slipped away from us just 2 weeks later without fuss as always. He has given me the strength & motivation to do as much as I can to help others.
The Fundraising element of Relay kicked off with my Crocheted Cancer Awareness Ribbons which were a huge success, only complaint was I could have done with a motor on my hands to knock them out quicker! We quickly came up with other ideas between us, raffles, face painting & games on the day, a fundraising night in local pub & the week of Relay we had a little get together to see what else we could do. My cousin Thomasine suggested Split the Pot, but not just a normal one, a MEGA MEGA Split the Pot, limited tickets to entice people to buy. Within 2 days we had sold the lot!! It set the bar for a great weekend!!! Lots of laughs were had, at one stage my friend said it was better than watching the Grand National watching the tickets/lines selling!!!
The Candle of Hope Ceremony is such a special time at Relay. The sight of all the Candle Bags lighting at dusk, each one representing a loved one or family, it is just a beautiful sight. You can see how much love & care has gone into each one, the ones the kids decorate are just wonderful. The singing & spoken pieces that are also a big part of the ceremony are so touching, tears your heart in two but at the same time provides healing. In 2022 I stood there thinking of Dad, he was at home then but had become unwell again & I remember praying he’d be ok. A year later, we stood in front of his beautiful face beaming out at us from his Candle Bags that we had decorated in his honour. The tears flowed, but that is ok too, its all part of the healing process. Some of my friends & family who had never taken part until this year all felt the same afterwards, they just got it! So hard to explain to people what it means & what you do get out of it, my advice to anybody or everybody is just come along & experience it for yourself.
2024 things have changed for me, I have been lucky enough to be invited to join the fabulous Relay for Life Committee as their Administrator. I only hope I can do a good job but am very excited to be part of such an amazing group of people. Lets continue to do the good work Gay began back in 2016 & continue to make her proud.
