Cork family: Forever grateful to the community for support

MICKY and Niamh met after a Cork v Tipperary game in Cork. Cupid struck and the result led to a match made in heaven.

“We’re not saying what the result of the hurling match was!” says Micky O’Sullivan, from Carrigtwohill, now living in Ladysbridge.

The couple have three children, Darragh, aged nine, Molly, aged eight, and Caoimhe, 15 months.

“We got married in Carrigtwohill,” says Niamh, “and we lived there for three and a half years in a mobile home before moving into our house here in 2017.”

After the excitement of appearing on RTÉ’s, Don’t Tell The Bride, the couple settled into married life, both of them very involved in local sports clubs.

The O’Sullivans are a sporting family.

Micky, who grew up in Carrigtwohill and played underage and adult hurling and football with them, is chairman of Fr O’Neill’s juvenile hurling and football club, involved in coaching across several age groups, while Niamh is involved in coaching Fr O’Neill’s camogie club and Inch Rovers.

“I love coaching the kids,” says Micky.

I made great friends being involved in the club. When I got sick and thought I couldn’t do the job, I passed the buck, and the lads took up the slack.

Micky and Niamh love the locality where they live.

“We’re near the beach and we’re living among a fantastic community,” says Micky.

Their children go to Kilcredan National School, and they take part in camogie, soccer and badminton.

Things ground to a halt when Micky, who was never at a doctor in his life, became unwell.

“We can’t tell you how much support we have received from our local community and from Fr O’Neill’s since I got sick,” says Micky. “We are so grateful to them all.”

What happened?

“In March, 2017, I suffered from night sweats and my neck swelled, getting bigger and bigger. We were supposed to go to the St Patrick’s Day parade, but we couldn’t. I went to SouthDoc, then to my own GP who sent me to hospital for tests. I was told to prepare for the results.

“When I was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, I got a big shock. I was 28 years old. and I had never been to a doctor. I underwent six months of chemotherapy that worked up to a point, 90% - 10% of the treatment didn’t work.

“I had treatment every two weeks, taking three to four days to recover from it. I was very sick.”

St James’s Hospital Dublin was the next stop for Micky.

“I went for stem cell treatment to St James’s Hospital in 2018,” he says.

My own cells were used, which often means a faster recovery. My recovery was slow but sure.

Micky was intent on making it to the 100 days marker. But he relapsed.

“We were at Niamh’s sister’s in Wicklow and the night sweats came back again. That was the tell-tale sign.”

After a scan, Micky had radiotherapy to target one spot which had grown in another part of his body. He was to then try immunotherapy treatment in the Mercy Hospital for two years.

What was that like?

“It is much the same as chemo,” says Micky. “But it is easier to take. It rejigs your own immune system, and you are not as sick with it.” But the treatment wasn’t problem-free.

“I had nerve problems afterwards, pins and needles and loss of sensation in my feet.”

But things were looking up.

“I was cancer-free when the treatment stopped. The scans were all clear and I was checked every three months.”

Micky wasn’t trouble-free just yet.

“Another spot appeared near my lung,” he says. “Was it scarring or cancer? It wasn’t biopsied because the doctors waited for it to grow.

When they did do a biopsy, it looked like cancer. That had to be confirmed and Professor Seamus O’Reily confirmed that it was cancer.

Niamh, keeping the home fires burning, kept the children occupied.

“We moved to Tipperary for the month of July so the kids could be with their cousins. They were happy out and they were distracted,” says Niamh.

Further investigation on Micky’s medical condition was carried out.

“In August, 2022, my tummy was cut open to take a sample,” says Micky.

He still managed to make the birth of his youngest daughter, Caoimhe. It was a team effort.

“My sister came from Tipperary to take me to hospital,” says Niamh.

“She rang Micky near the birth, neighbours sat with the other two kids and another neighbour drove Micky to the hospital to welcome Caoimhe into the world.”

The world of hospitals and treatments continued for Micky.

“I had conditioning chemotherapy for the rest of the year to get prepared for another stem cell treatment, this time from a donor.”

How did that stem cell transplant go?

“The transplant itself was not too bad,” says Micky.

“It was postponed for a while until January so that I could mentally prepare for it.

“I was the sickest a week after the transplant,” he recalls.

The aftermath was tough. I was stuck in a room and Niamh had to gown up to be allowed in to see me.

Last Christmas wasn’t great.

“We couldn’t have anyone over,” recalls Micky.

But someone did arrive.

“Yes, Santa arrived!” says Niamh.

“I was home in April but back up to hospital for three or four weeks due to an infection,” says Micky.

“I came home again in mid-May.”

Micky, who had gone through the mill, wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“In July, I got a sore throat and lumps on my neck. This was a different form of lymphoma that was a consequence of the transplant. It was the same bug as before. It was another strain that I got because my immune system was so low. I was back on chemotherapy until the scans showed up clear.”

This new turn of events was scary.

“I was scary sick,” says Micky.

“I got a lot of infections, and I lost a stone and a half in weight.

The kids shaved my head, which wasn’t so scary! The kids helped us get through a lot.

The fear lessened with the massive support around him.

“The senior players from Fr O’Neill’s organised a coffee morning with Nick of Rooskagh coffee at Garryvoe Beach to raise funds to alleviate some of the financial pressure,” says Micky.

“I couldn’t get out of the car that day, but to see the serious queues of people lining up to buy their coffee helped the turn-around mentally.

“It was amazing, there were even people there I didn’t know.

“To see people give up their day on a wet Sunday morning was brilliant.

“The crowds on the beach that Sunday morning were massive. Poor Nick was under fierce pressure!”

The troops rallied to help raise funds to assist the O’Sullivan family with the day-to- day running of the home expenses for the duration of Mickey’s treatment, and to assist with the costs of travelling from Cork to Dublin for treatment.

“I’d come back from a hospital appointment, or a therapy treatment and the grass would be cut!” says Micky laughing.

“The neighbours brought the kids to training and they even put out the bins! We have great neighbours.”

He has a great Mam too.

“Micky’s mam used to come here for the day when I’d travel to Dublin on the train to see Mickey,” says Niamh, who became his carer when he was diagnosed.

“I’d get up a 5am, feed Caoimhe, put her back to bed and get the 7am train to Dublin.

“Everyone put their shoulders to the wheel to lend a hand.

“The kindness shown for us blow-ins, with everyone willing to help, wanting to help, was just amazing,” says Micky.

The Vintage Club collaborated with the camogie and Fr O’Neill’s, organising a charity tractor, trucks, and car road run from Ahavine sports grounds for one of their own.

“It was so uplifting to see,” says Micky. “The support just blew us away.”

He is slowly regaining his full health and his energy.

“I do have neuropathy which affects my feet. I’m going to a gym in Glanmire and to a physio.”

“We all get a break!” says Niamh laughing.

Neuropathy (nerve damage), is common after high-dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.

Things are on the up-and up now for the O’Sullivans.

“In July and August, I could sleep for 20 out of 24 hours a day,” says Micky.

“I’d have to sit down a lot. Before, I worked for C&W insulations, I was a carpenter. I’d like to go back to that at some stage.”

He’s going back coaching GAA.

“I’m looking forward to running up and down the sidelines shouting encouragement to the kids,” says Micky.

“Being the chairperson of Fr O’Neill’s Juvenile and Hurling Club kept me going. “It really helped when I couldn’t do much. I missed out on a lot for fear of infection.”

And Caoimhe is a seasoned member of Cúl Camp.

“When she was two days old, I brought her to Cúl Camp,” says Niamh.

“Her buggy was parked up in the pitch and all the kids got to know her. Now she has all these friends she got to know!”

Daragh and Molly have lots of friends too.

“The school teachers were so good to them,” says Niamh.

“There was no obligation to do homework if they couldn’t do it. That put their minds at ease and made life easier for all of us.”

Life was made easier for the family when everyone rowed in and rallied around them.

“We’ll be forever grateful to the community,” says Micky.

“And to both our families, my aunts and uncles rowed in too to help us out.

“C&W sent four trucks to the vintage charity run, the boys are so good. I was there nine years.”

Micky, young and able, is able to bounce back.

“I have so many appointments in Dublin, so many therapies, the financial support helps us so much. It takes the pressure off. The local support is worth any money.”

Micky is getting back on his feet.

“He got new runners!” says Niamh.

Life goes on for the O’Sullivan’s and it is looking good.

“For the kids, life goes on,” says Micky. “Their lives can’t freeze in time.”

Darragh has his part to play.

“He’s Ger Millerick in the school play!” says Micky.

That’s a big deal. Ger is one of Fr O’Neill’s star players.

The O’Sullivans have their own little piece of heaven in their safe haven beside the sea.

The house is a Cork/Tipperary house.

“It is a divided house, GAA-wise,” says Micky. “The Tipp flag is flying when the team are playing a county or All-Ireland final!” says Niamh.

The O’Sullivans are keeping the flag flying.

“We live among a great community that we are forever grateful to. And we have the beach!”